Gilmore girls
by WritelkeUmeanit
Summary: Pre-gg. "You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee, and she'll go away." He gave her coffee. She didn't go away. Humor/Family/Friendship/Romance/Drama.
1. Annoying Woman Meets Grumpy Diner Owner

So here's the deal. I believe that Luke and Lorelai are truly meant to be, and a big reason for that is because they knew each other so well before they made that transition from friends to so much more than that. I want them to build that foundation, but I won't have them go through eight years of foreplay to get there. But I think a year or so is fair. I'm not a hundred percent sure yet on the time; it may be a little more, may be a little less- you get the picture. But they will get there in this story.

Mainly, that will be the only thing that I'm taking the liberty to change; just beware that some exes may show up sooner than they did in the show. There may be some minor things here or there, but overall, that's it.

Trust me, everything will work out. Major java junkie fan here!

**Gilmore Girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter One: An annoying woman meets a grumpy diner owner**

_(1996) _

_Crapshack_

"No, no, no!" Lorelai exclaimed at the evil water. "Rory!" she shouted.

"Yeah?" the eleven year old called back from the bathroom.

"What are the odds of you knowing how to unclog a sink?"

"Not very good!"

"Didn't think so," Lorelai grumbled.

_A Bit Later_

"We are so late," Lorelai said as she stepped off the sidewalk. With a pouting face, Rory reached to grab her mother's outstretched hand while she struggled to keep up with her mom, who was leading them across the street.

"I told you we should have gone this weekend," the young girl complained.

"And miss the Godfather marathon?" Lorelai gasped. "Never!"

Rory rolled her eyes. "We have them on tape."

"Do I really have to explain to you that it's not the same?" Lorelai turned to look at her daughter with raised brows.

"No," Rory said with a sigh.

"Car shopping can wait! Sophia dying, cannot! Now hurry, you'll just make it."

Together, they rushed up the cement stairs leading to Stars Hollow Junior/Senior high school. Once they reached the top, Rory hiked her backpack higher up on her shoulders, and then she turned to hug her mom.

"Bye, sweets," Lorelai said before kissing her daughter's cheek.

"Bye," the younger Gilmore said as she turned to run for the door.

"Love you!"

"Love you, too!" Rory called, just before disappearing inside.

Lorelai turned while letting out a sigh as she chanced a glance down at her cell phone. Her brand-new cell phone that she had just gotten barely a month ago. She had finally been able to afford one and was so excited when she and Sookie walked into that store and saw the cool display case. What the phone looked like, that didn't matter. Lorelai didn't care that it was boring and bulky. She didn't care that she could only afford the cheapest, simplest thing. She was just proud of herself. Proud of her new cell phone.

Well that was last month. In that moment, she hated Regis.

"Should have been an athlete," Lorelai grumbled as she hurried back down ths stairs. She had just ten minutes to get to work, at least according to Regis.

"Hey, sugah!" Babette called when she saw her neighbor coming.

"Hey, Babette," Lorelai called hurriedly.

Her feet began picking up the pace, as she was eager to get to Weston's for her morning coffee. The caffeine would give her a jolt and maybe that jolt would give her superhuman speed that would allow her to run a mile in less than ten minutes.

Probably not, but it was worth a shot.

"Oh, it's closed, doll face!" the older woman called as she realized that Lorelai was heading for morning routine.

Lorelai's legs came to a crashing halt. "Fran's is closed?" she asked while trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah," Babette said with a sad nod before taking a sip of her coffee.

Lorelai's brows furrowed. "What's that?" she asked while leaning over to rest her hands on her knees.

"Oh, coffee. You want some sugah? I've had enough."

Lorelai shook her head. "Where'd you get it?" she asked curiously. "Fran's is the only coffee place in town."

"No, not anymore," Babette corrected as she turned to point to the end of the block. That just confused Lorelai even more.

"I thought that was a hardware store. When it was open," she added as an after thought. "Didn't the guy who owned it, die?"

"Yeah," Babette confirmed with sad eyes. "But his son, Luke, finally opened the place up yesterday. He's got the best coffee I ever tasted, sugah. Even beats Fran's! Now don't get me wrong, I love Fran, but she can't make coffee like this to save her life!" Babette screeched with a big smile. "Oh, I gotta go, Morey's waiting for me." The older woman realized. "I'll see ya later," she said with a smile before turning the corner.

Lorelai sighed. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and realized that her ten minutes were now down to seven minutes. She wouldn't make it on time. She knew that. Now she just had to beat Ellen there. Ellen was the assitant manager and just one step above Lorelai, who was the event's coordinator at the Independence Inn. Ellen would be gone soon, on maternity leave. For good. The woman was going to be a stay at home mom, and Lorelai was next in line to take her place. Trouble was that Ellen hated her. The woman would show no mercy if Lorelai was late. She was just hoping that Mia would be in today. Mia wouldn't leave her to the sharks if she were there.

Lorelai stood on that spot, debating with herself for no more then ten seconds. Of course, being late wasn't good, but everyone at the Inn would pay the price if she didn't have coffee flowing through her veins when she would arrive. No one would like her then.

"Thank you," Lorelai said with a breif smile at the man who walked in ahead of her and held the door open.

The place was crowded. Every table was full and just one stool was open at the end of the counter. Lorelai's eyes brightened when she saw it, and just as she was set to claim it, the man who had walked in before her, beat her to the punch. Lorelai narrowed her eyes at the evil man. She needed coffee and she needed it now. Helplessly, she looked around the room, trying to mentally force someone, anyone, to get up and leave an empty seat. An empty seat, which she would pounce on. And she wouldn't even need to stay that long. Just long enough to be waited on, and then she was out of there.

After just seconds, Lorelai was ready to give up when she realized that the clock was still ticking. She was about ready to turn around and leave when a voice caught her attention.

"Casear! I need those eggs!"

Lorelai looked up to find a kind of grungy, gruff, cowboy-ish, looking coffee god coming towards her.

"Hey, you, I need coffee," Lorelai said as she quickly turned to face the man who had just stopped a few feet in front of her to pour her precious coffee into someone else's cup.

"What?" the man asked, turning to look at her with quirked brows.

"Coffee: the stuff that's in that pot. I need some. A lot, really. Hell, you may as well give me the whole thing," she said through a laugh, a sort of nervous laugh. The man was giving her such an annoyed, intense, look.

"Yeah, you and everyone else in this damn town," he grumped while walking behind the counter. "Sit down, I'll get to you when I can," he promised dryly.

"Unless you have invisible chairs, there is nowhere to sit," Lorelai retorted as she poked her head between two customers to look at the coffee baring man who was behind the counter.

"Then wait for a table, or go to Weston's. I'm busy," he said shortly as he went down the line, refilling customer's cups.

"But Fran's is closed and unless I get there before Ellen, I will have to hell to pay!" Lorelai exclaimed with desperation.

"What?" Luke asked, confused.

Lorelai sighed. She didn't have time for this. "Ellen, she hates me and if I don't get to the Inn before she does, I'll get a ten minute lecture on the importance of punctuality and trust me, it's a real snooze fest. Been there, done that, you know? So I need coffee or I may just drop dead from withdrawal pains. Right here. And you don't want that, do you? Who wants a dead body right in the middle of their diner? No one. Unless you're a Freddy Krueger fan or something, then maybe you wouldn't mind. Seeing a dead body might be comforting, but I don't have time to find out, so please, please, give me the coffee," Lorelai begged as she followed him around.

"Yeah, I get it, you're a coffee addict; great, but I have a diner to run, so either shut up and wait, or go somewhere else," Luke warned after finishing his lap around the room and disappearing into the kitchen.

Lorelai's face fell as she looked around the diner with sad, defeated eyes. She didn't have time to go another round and was just about to leave when something at the counter caught her gaze and the light blub went off in her head. With a new smile on her face, Lorelai went to the counter with an idea.

"Can I borrow that?" she asked the older woman who had just set aside the horoscope section of the newspaper.

"Of course, dear," Ms. Casini said with a smile.

"Thanks," Lorelai said as she reached into her purse to grab a pen. Just when she got her fingers around the object, the coffee hogging man came back from the kitchen, and this time, with plates in his hands.

"What's your horoscope?" Lorelai asked as she turned to follow him with her eyes.

"Did you not get the, 'shut up,' part?" Luke said with tired eyes.

"Yeah, got that loud and clear. What's your horoscope?" she asked again.

The man sighed. "Scorpio," he said, just wanting to shut her up.

"Thank you," Lorelai sang as she turned back to the paper. She quickly found his month and without stopping to read his predictions, she scribbled down a few words at the end of it. She then, carefully, ripped the section free. "Here," she said while holding up the little piece of paper. "Read."

Not having time to ask what it was, or argue with her, Luke took the paper and quickly unfolded it. "You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away," he read the words aloud. He then looked up at the woman and was met with a big smile, and bright eyes. "Fine," he gave in. He dropped the paper down on the counter and then turned to grab a to-go cup. "Here. Ya happy now?" he grumped.

"You have no idea," Lorelai said with a smile as she quickly dug for some money. "Here you go," she said while handing him two bills. "Oh, and you might want to keep that," she said while jerking her chin at the counter as she backed away from him. "Maybe one day, it will bring you luck," she said with a shrug.

Luke was caught off guard by her sudden soft, calm voice and easy smile

"Bye, coffee man," she sang before turning to the door.

He looked down at the counter to pick up the small piece of paper and by the time he looked up again, the annoying woman was gone. Luke sighed.

_To be Continued.... _

**Please Review! It's much appreciated! **


	2. Ding! Ding! Round Two!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Two: Ding! Ding! Round Two!**

_Independence Inn_

"My God, I've died and gone to heaven," Lorelai said as the wonderful, amazing coffee traveled down her throat.

Sookie giggled as she chopped up some lettuce.

"Lorelai! Let's go! Break's over!" Ellen called after popping her head into the kitchen.

"Coming," she promised. Lorelai quickly finished off Luke's coffee, and then tossed the cup in the trash. It had been about an hour since she's purchased the large cup, but it was that good that she wanted to savor it. Make it last. "See ya later, Sook," Lorelai called to her best friend, who was also incharge of making the salads. She then hurried through the kitchen and popped out behind the front desk to find Ellen waiting oh-so-patiently for her.

"The Dunken wedding is next week," the assistant manager said while handing Lorelai a clipboard.

"Yes, I know," Lorelai said with a nod. "Everything's all set to go."

"Everything?" Ellen challenged. Just like she always did.

"Yes." Lorelai nodded as she kept from rolling her eyes at the bossy, over confident, overbearing, and frankly, mean woman. "But I'll check everything. Again," Lorelai replied with the necessary smile. She knew this would be where the conversation would end up anyway, so she just cut to the chase.

"Good. Thank you," Ellen said with a smile. A fake, forced smile, but none the less, a smile.

"Of course." Lorelai matched that curve of the evil woman's lips.

_Square_

"He kept it?" Patty whispered in a rush.

"Yeah," Ms. Casini said with an eager nod. "He took out his wallet and stuck it right in there, just like she told him to."

"Wow," Babette awed. "You think he'll go for her?" she asked excitedly.

"I hope not," Patty said with a frown. She had a thing for Luke. And every other good looking male in Stars Hollow. Age was really but a number to her.

"They'd be hot together!" Babette exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"What about Rory?" Ms. Casini asked worriedly.

Babette nodded. "Yeah, Luke ain't very kid friendly," she argued.

Patty looked over her shoulder to glance at the diner, and both women followed the visual path she left. "Guess we'll have to wait and see," she said before taking a drag of her cigeratte.

_Later_

_Independence Inn_

"Bye, Mia! See ya tomorrow!" Lorelai called to her boss. The woman has always been like a mother to her and her daughter.

"Bye, Lorelai! Give my baby a kiss for me!" she shouted back while giving the girl a smile from behind the desk.

"I will!" Lorelai promised while zipping up her jacket. She turned to give Mia a last goodbye wave before leaving.

A bright smile took Lorelai's face as the warm autumn breeze greeted her. She took a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath of the fresh air. This was one of her favorite seasons; though winter was number one, autumn was a close second. It wasn't too hot or too cold. A very nice balance.

After taking a moment to appreciate the nice weather, Lorelai's legs started moving as she went to pull her phone from her purse. It was just shy of 2:15. Thanks to Mia and her understanding of the situation, Lorelai was always released early enough so that she could be there to pick up her daughter from school. And today was the start of parent teacher conferences, just like every year during the mid-semester. Lorelai would see a few of Rory's teacher today, and the rest tomorrow. The proud mom wasn't expecting any bad news, but regardless, meeting with teachers, or anything of the sort, was never a walk in the park.

Lorelai sighed. "Need coffee," she whispered under her breath. She turned around and looked at the Inn with sad, longing eyes. She had just finished two blocks. "Ugh, too far," she complained after her mind considererd the possibility of going back for a to-go cup. And then she rememberd Luke's. The place that wasn't a hardware store, but a diner. The place that had the best coffee in town. In the state. In the country. In the world. Plus the guy serving it wasn't too hard on the eyes, either. That was a nice little bonus for her.

"Maybe this time, he won't make me work for it," Lorelai said, hopeful. "But it was kinda fun," she reasoned with a shrug.

_Square_

A frown took Lorelai's face as her travels landed her in front of Weston's. While yes, this new coffee she had discovered this morning was like a gift straight from the Coffee God's themselves, she and Fran's coffee had a special bond. They go back. They've been through good times and bad. The ups and downs. Fran's coffee was there for her when she had a bad, awful day. When she had a wonderful, amazing day. When she had an okay day. Through thick and thin. But Lorelai just couldn't help the feelings that were rumbling inside, boiling to the surface. She's been thinking about this new coffee ever since the very moment that amazing brew filled her mouth. She made it last for so long. It's been on her mind all day.

"I'm sorry," Lorelai apologized as she touched her hand to the door. She peered into the dark room and pouted at the coffee maker. "I'll still be back, I promise. Just not everyday. But you'll find someone else."

"Let's go! One, two, one, two! Keep that chin up and those legs high!" Patty chanted between puffs as her eyes were glued to the gentlemen's ass to her right.

Lorelai turned around to give her neighbor a smile. Patty was riding along side her aerobics class, who were, one by one, passing Lorelai on the sidewalk.

"Hey, Patty," she greeted the woman.

"Hello, dear," the older woman said with a grin.

"Having fun?" Lorelai asked with a smirk as she looked between the woman's eye candy, and the ballet teacher.

"Of course," Patty purred. "How bout you? I hear you went to Luke's this morning. Keep moving!" she called to the class as her assistant brought the car to a snail's pace.

"Uh, yeah, I did," Lorelai answered, though the question threw her. Yeah, she knew her town was a gossip mill, but she didn't realize that her getting a cup of coffee was news worthy.

"I also heard you met Luke," Patty said, trying to play it cool before taking another drag.

"I don't know," Lorelai shrugged. "Is he the guy in the flannel?"

"Always," Patty confirmed with a big, day-dreamy smile.

"Well, then, yeah, I met Luke."

Patty nodded. "You know, honey, Rory's getting older."

"Yes, she is," Lorelai agreed as her eyes narrowed just a bit. The woman was up to no good. She always was.

"Just something to think about," the dance teacher said while tossing a glance ahead of her. Lorelai quickly turned to follow the visual trail and suddenly it clicked. She turned back to Miss Patty and just when she opened her mouth to say something, the woman driving the golf cart went speeding away.

Lorelai sighed. She turned back to look at the diner and her face fell when she spotted Luke talking to a couple by the window.

"I don't need a guy," Lorelai whispered. "I just need coffee," she said firmly before taking off for the diner.

XXX

_Stars Hollow Highschool_

"But what about if she goes in there to clean or something? Your mom's always cleaning," Rory said with a wrinkle of her nose.

"Oh, yeah." Lane sighed. "But maybe if I just keep my room really clean, she won't go in the closet. She won't even go in my room at all," she said, hopeful.

"Oh yeah, maybe," Rory said with a smile as they packed up their backpacks.

"Is your mom picking us up?" Lane asked.

Rory shook her head. "Parent, teacher conferences."

"Oh, right. My mom has them tomorrow. So my house?" Lane offered, knowing that they couldn't be left alone at Lorelai's without an adult.

"Yeah," Rory said with a nod as she put her backpack on. "Let's go."

XXX

_Diner_

Lorelai pushed the door open and the moment she stepped inside, her eyes widened at the site infront of her. "Low and behold, there's actually an empty seat!" she exclaimed.

Luke looked up from the table he was looming over, where he was busy taking orders, when he saw her. "Jeez," he mumbled under his breath.

"So just to be clear on the rules here, this isn't like Denny's, right? Or do I have to wait to be seated?" Lorelai asked with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, I'll seat ya," Luke said with a nod as he quickly swiveled around the counter to grab the phone. "Yeah, Al, you got any tables open? I got a babbeling, coffee addict for ya."

Lorelai rolled her eyes as she walked to the counter and then plopped down on a stool. "You treat all your customers like this, Grumpy Mcgrumperson?

"Just the annoying ones," he said with a shrug. "So I'm guesing you want coffee, or are you ready to test that dead body theory? I got time," he said with a shrug. He jerked his chin out to the middle of the room. "Floor's empty. Go ahead."

"Eh, maybe tomorrow," Lorelai said thoughtfully. "I will take the coffee though."

Luke turned to fill a cup. "So you're annoying _and _a liar. Wow. There must be a line around the corner waiting to get to you," he said sarcastically.

Lorelai's brows raised. "Excuse me?" she asked archly.

Luke turned back to give her the to-go cup. "You said this morning that if I gave you coffee, you would go away," he reminded her.

"I did go away," she pointed out while pulling her wallet out from her purse. "But you should have read the fine print, buddy. Never said I wasn't coming back" she with a brilliant smile while sliding the money across the counter.

Luke's brows furrowed as he watched her settle her purse on her shoulder before she standing to leave.

"Have a nice day, Duke."

"Duke?"

"Your new nickname," she said with a shrug before turning around. And this time, Luke watched her go.

_Stars Hollow Highschool_

"Hey, fancy meeting you here," Lorelai said with a grin.

"Hey, mom." Rory's face brightened further when she saw her mother climbing the stairs to her school. The young girl hurried to close the distance between them so she could wrap her arms around Lorelai's middle.

"Hey, babe." Lorelai kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Good day?" she asked while looking between her mini me, and Lane.

"Great day," Rory corrected.

Lane rolled her eyes. "She likes school too much" the girl accused with a sad shake of her head.

Rory turned to stick her tongue out at her best friend which led them both into a fit of giggles.

Lorelai smiled at the scene. "I have conferenes with your teachers, hon. You going to go to Lane's, or do you want to go to Sookie's? I heard mention of fresh brownies," she said with a wide smile and enticing eyes.

"Oh, brownies!" Rory perked as she turned to look across the square at her mother's best friend's house.

"Way better than rice cakes," Lane said with a nod.

"That's what I thought," Lorelai said with a smile before lifting her cup to take a sip.

Rory was about to say something about the chocolate treat, but the logo on the foreign cup caught her attention instead. "Who's Luke?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, he owns the new diner."

"What new diner?" Rory asked.

"That one," Lane said while pointing at the building behind mother and daughter.

"Yeah." Lorelai nodded. "Just opened up yesterday and since Weston's is closed, I went there."

"You taste tested without me?" Rory asked with sad, hurt eyes.

"No, no, I didn't have the food," Lorelai denyed quickly. "Just the coffee. Which you can't have anyway," she added.

"My birthday's next month," the younger Gilmore pointed out.

"Ah, yes, the day Rory Gilmore will be able to have her very first cup of coffee is fast approaching," Lorelai said with a smile. "Well, your first real cup anwyay," she muttered. Of course there has been the special occasion where Lorelai has given in and let her offspring have some of the fabulous elixir, but it was always more milk than coffee and just a tiny bit of sugar. And this only happened just once every so often.

"Can I try that? Just a little sip?" Rory asked with wide, blue eyes and pouting lips. The look made Lorelai proud of her daughter. The girl has really mastered the Gilmore pout, which Lorelai had been pressing her baby to learn since she was just an infant.

"You won't like it, babe. Black coffee," Lorelai explained.

"Oh."

Lorelai nodded as she ran her hand over her daughter's hair. "I have to go in. You two go; I'll watch you cross the street. And remember, buddy system," she reminded them.

"Bye, mom," Rory said as she hurried to take Lane's hand and together they ran down the stairs.

.

"Careful!" Lorelai cautioned when Rory almost fell.

"I'm okay!" the eleven year old assured over their laughing. They then stopped at the corner, looked both ways, and proceeded to cross the street.

Once Lorelai saw that they were within just a few feet of Sookie's house, she turned back to the school.

"Twenty eight and I'm still going to highschool," she said with a sad sigh.

_To be continued..._

**Please Review! :D**


	3. Sparring Interruptus

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Three: Sparring Interruptus**

_Sookie's_

"Here you go, kittens," the chef said with a smile as she put a plate of freshly baked brownies down in front of the girls.

"Thanks, Sookie," Rory said with excited eyes as she dug right in. Lane bit on her bottom lip, wincing as she pictured Mama Kim finding out about the delicous treat that she wasn't supposed to have. Sookie laughed.

"Sweetie, it's okay. One brownie won't kill you."

"But my mom said that she would know if I ever have the devil's food. And brownie's are one of the devil's foods," she said, repeating her mother's warning.

Rory shook her head as she worked the brownie around her mouth. "No, they're not," she mumbled through stuffed cheeks.

"She just wants to scare you," Sookie assured the young girl as she pulled a milk carton from the fridge.

"Yeah," Rory agreed, after swallowing. "Remember, we tested that theory last week. She won't know. You just have to brush your teeth _really_ good," the young Gilmore stressed before bitting a big chunk off.

"Okay," Lane said, though the spec of doubt showed through her tone

"So how's school?" Sookie asked.

Rory nodded enthusiastically as she hurried to chew up the food in her mouth. "We're learning about food and nutrition in health class. I think mom has too much junk," she said sadly. "I have to make her stop sometimes. Oh, except for on movie nights. Then we have whatever we want. But too much sugar can lead to diabetes and heart disease and stuff, so I'm only going to have two brownies," she said with a firm nod as she picked up another one from the tray. She broke a piece off and popped it into her mouth.

"Yeah, me too," Lane agreed as she copied her friend.

Sookie smiled as she turned to the oven to check on her next batch.

Rory quickly chewed up the first half and after starting up on the second, her eyes strayed to the big tray. She debated with herself for a minute, mentally making a pro/con list and realizing that she would be able to walk some of it off with her mom on their journey home. And she reminded herself to drink water. That would clear things. So she reached for another one.

"One more."

XXX

_School_

"Skip a grade?" Lorelai asked with surprise. "You think Rory should skip a grade?"

The math teacher nodded. "We've had a good number of tests and so far, her lowest grade has been an A minus. Once. Now, I've spoken to the rest of her teachers and this class seems to be her weak point in comparison," the man said with a smile. "I know it's still early in the year, and this is her first year in highschool, well middle school," he corrected, "but your daughter's not really being challenged. The principal looked over her grades from last year and he was surprised that this wasn't suggested last year. Probably because it was her last year in elementary school and they thought she should just finish with her friends and I understand that, but I at least think you should look at this. Even if she finishes out middle school at the normal pace, this would be a good next step for her," he said while reaching over to pick up a brochure.

Lorelai took the pamphlet with curious eyes. "Chilton," she read from the cover.

"Yes. It's an excellent school. One of the top in the country. But I know Hartford's a bit of a hike,"

Lorelai's eyes shot up. "Hartford?" she questioned.

"Yes. Do you know the area at all?"

"You have no idea," she murmured.

The man nodded. "It's a bit out of the way. A good half hour drive every morning. But from schools like that, kids go on to Yale, Princeton, Vassar, Harvard..." he trailed.

"Harvard," Lorelai whispered as her eyes scanned the pages. She had always wanted her daughter to go to Harvard.

"Miss. Gilmore, Rory's a very bright girl. If she skips a grade, she could get there faster," he said while touching the page she was looking at. "Either way though, you can count on my recommendation," he promised.

"Excuse me?" a woman called from the doorway. "Am I early?" she asked while looking down at her watch.

"No; right on time," the teacher said while hoping off the desk. "Miss Gilmore, I'd be glad to meet with you again, if you have questions or anything."

"Thank you," Lorelai said with eyes glued to the brochure as she slowly rose from the desk. "Bye, Mr. Terris," she said absentmindedly while passing the man.

"Hello, Lorelai," Debbie: a fellow Stars Hollow mom, greeted her.

"Harvard," she whispered.

_Sookie's_

"Oh, that must be your mom," the woman said before yelling, "come in!"

"Hey," she greeted her best friend from the couch.

"Hey. How were they?"

"Great. They ate brownies and now they're in the kitchen doing homework," Sookie said with a shrug.

"I don't get it," Lorelai heard Lane complain as she approached the kitchen.

"Here, I'll show you," Rory offered as she leaned over to explain the math problem.

Lorelai took in a breath as she looked down at the brochure in her hand.

_A bit Later_

_Square_

"Bye, sweets." Lorelai smiled at Lane.

"Bye. Thanks, Lorelai. See ya tomorrow, Rory!" the girl said in a rush as she ran the path to the antique store. She had to be home for dinner. Wheat meatballs. The eleven year old couldn't wait for that meal.

"Bye, Lane!" Rory called back.

After watching the girl disappear inside, Lorelai squeezed her daughter's hand, and the young girl brought up the question of dinner.

"I think we should have it," Lorelai said with a nod.

"Yes, we should," Rory agreed with a big smile. "So can we try that new place?"

"What place?" Lorelai asked. Her mind was still on the pamphlet that was burning a hole through her purse.

"Luke's. It's a diner, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Lorelai nodded as her face winced. The guy selling the food wasn't exactly the Willy Wonka of coffee and though Lorelai enjoyed the verbal sparring matches, she wasn't sure that her sensitive, eleven year old daughter, would feel the same way.

"Can we go?" Rory asked while looking up at her mom.

"Yeah," Lorelai said. She could hardly ever say no to those big, blue, puppy dog eyes. "Let's go." The school stuff could wait until later, she decided. "The guy's gonna think I'm crazy. I've already been in there twice," Lorelai said with a small laugh.

"Coffee must be good," Rory said with an unsure smile.

"Oh yeah," Lorelai agreed with an eager nod. "Really good."

_Diner_

It was just after four thirty. The place wasn't packed or anything, but there were plenty of people around and enough going on, that Lorelai was able to slip in unnoticed to anyone else. With her hands on her daughter's shoulders, she guided Rory to an empty table near the window and together they sat down.

"Here, babe," Lorelai said while plucking a menu from the holder..

"Thanks," Rory said distractedly as she took it. Her curious eyes were already taking in her surroundings. She was noting the people around her, the appliances she saw, the color paint on the walls, and everything from there was then stored away in her memory for later analyzation. She wished she had her little reporter notebook with her. The one she used to take notes for the newspaper she wrote. It wasn't too big or anything; just a few pages with small aritcles that she wrote for her mom. She was practicing for the school paper, which she planned to try out for when she would reach tenth grade. Only upper classmen could work on the paper. She learned from the Stars Hollow Gazette, The Post, The Times, and anything else she was able to get her hands on. She did her best to copy the format with funny little stories and the going ons that happened at home. Her latest issue was up on the fridge, thanks to her proud mom. And the rest were stored away in the elder Gilmore's room for safekeeping.

"You know what you what?" Lorelai asked as she scanned the menu. "I think we're safe with a couple of burgers for now. See if he can make a decent one before we order anything fancy," she said with a shrug. "Hon?" She tapped her daughter's hand.

Rory snapped to look at her mom. "What?"

"Burgers and fries? That okay?"

Rory nodded. She then brought her eyes to the menu and trailed her gaze across every word. She first started at the breakfast section, worked through lunch, diner, beverages, and then stoped after desserts. Just five different kinds of pie, that's all he had. No cake, or cookies, or brownies, or anything like that. Not that pie wasn't great, but Rory found it a bit odd that there wasn't a bigger selection. The few other places that she's gone to with her mom, had more to choose from.

Rory darted her eyes back to the drinks and saw that there was a bit more to pick from there. Soda, water, coffee, tea, iced tea, and coco. _"Wonder what kinda soda,"_ she thought.

"What? No big entrance this time?"

Rory's head shot up from the menu to find a tall man with a green, backwards baseball cap, a red flannel shirt, and jeans. _"Very Christmas-y," _she thought about the color of the shirt and hat.

"No, but I'll be sure to pull an Elvis on my way out. I'll just need someone to announce me. Know anyone?" Lorelai asked and Rory could hear the smile in her mother's voice. She quickly looked to her mom and her guess was confirmed when she saw Lorelai's wide spread lips and bright white teeth. _"She's flirting. Maybe we'll get our food faster," _the young girl thought with a shrug.

"Kirk," Luke said with a shrug as he went to pull his order pad out from the belt on his jeans. Lorelai followed his hand and her eyes widened a bit as he parted his flannel and pulled the pad free. She hadn't noticed that before.

"Yeah, Kirk would probably do it," Rory agreed.

Luke's brows furrowed as he looked down at the girl. He looked between the kid and the annoying woman and couldn't help but see the resemblance. "She your sister?" he asked the woman.

Lorelai shook her head. "My daughter," she said proudly. "And before you go where you're going, I was young when I had her. She's eleven; I'm twenty eight. Do the math."

Luke quickly crunched the small numbers and he couldn't help but let a little bit of surprise show through to his face. But he managed to recovered quickly. He coughed, looked down at his order pad, then held his pen up before looking back to the woman. "What'll you have?" he asked.

Lorelai's brows quirked. "Uh, burger and fries."

"Dead cow," Luke said with a sad shake of his head while he quickly scribbled down the order. "You?" he asked the kid.

"I'll have the same, please," Rory said politely. She closed her menu, then reached for her mom's to hold them both up to the man. "Here you go," she said with a sweet smile and warm eyes.

"Thanks," Luke said curiously as he took them from her.

"You're welcome," Rory said with a nod. "Oh, and can I have some water, please? And some for my mom, too. Oh, and coffee. You want coffee, right mom?" she asked while turning to Lorelai.

Lorelai just nodded in amazement. Although she wasn't sure why. She knew her daughter was a very poltie, sweet girl.

Rory turned back to Luke. "So two glasses of water and a cup of coffee, please," she said while folding her hands on the table.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, coming up," he said. Last time he remembered, kids weren't this well mannered. It was throwing him off a little, especially because she seemed a hell of a lot quieter than her mother.

"Thank you," Rory said. And with that, Luke turned to the kitchen. Lorelai shook her head before looking down at the table.

_To be continued_

**Please review!!! **


	4. It's not Polite to Stare

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Four: It's not Polite to Stare. But it is Something Else. **

"So what did my teachers say?" Rory asked curiously, just seconds after their food appeared on their table. She also took a mental note that their plates didn't take much time to arrive.

Lorelai's head snapped back to her daughter. "What?"

Rory frowned. "My teachers, what did they say?"

"Oh, oh." Lorelai nodded quickly as she put her burger down. "You know, the usual. They said your brilliant and wish they had a dozen of you in their classes," she said with a big smile.

"Well, I am brilliant," Rory said with a solem nod before taking a bite from her burger. "This is good," she mumbled through stuffed cheeks.

Lorelai laughed. "The best dead cow I've ever had," she agreed with a grin.

Rory's brows furrowed as her chewing slowed. "Ew," she muttered.

"Okay, um, not a dead cow," Lorelai sputtered as she tried to keep from smiling."It's a, uh, real fine piece of circular meat you're chewing there. Circular meet that was never alive and not in any way associated with any farm animals."

"Yeah, right," Luke said with a snort as he passed by their table.

"Hey, paying customers here," Lorelai warned.

"Still a dead cow," Luke said with a shrug as passed them again.

Lorelai sighed, but her eyes couldn't help but follow him. Again.

Rory swallowed before a smile appeared on her face. "It's okay. I can get passed the dead cow thing. This is really good," she said with an eager nod before taking an even bigger bite. "You like it, mom?" she asked between bites.

"Yeah," Lorelai said as her eyes lingered on Luke, "I do."

_Later_

_Dooses_

"What do we need? What do we need?" Lorelai repeated as mother and daughter walked hand and hand towards the market. She always sort of planned on making a list, but just never got around to it. Thank God for her organized daughter, is what she thought.

"Oh, um," Rory started as she reached to pull the list from the pocket of her jeans. "We need a sink unclogger thingy," she said with furrowed brows after reading the first item she had written down.

Lorelai looked down at her daughter with a smile. "Do you know what a sink unclogger thingy is?"

"No," Rory said with a shake of her head.

"Me either."

"And they probably wouldn't have it in a food store," she realized. She reached behind her to pull out a pen from the front zippered pocket of her back pack. After retrieving it, she crossed that item off the list.

"Just have to make coffee in the bathroom," Lorelai said with a mournful sigh.

"We need a water cooler," Rory reminded her mom.

"Yeah, don't worry babe, we'll get it this weekend." They had just moved into their new home a few weeks ago and still didn't have everything they needed.

"And don't forget to call a sink guy," the young girl mentioned as they walked into the market.

"Something wrong with your sink?" Kirk asked after overhearing the conversation from where he stood, looking over the fruit selection.

"Oh, no, Kirk, it's fine," Lorelai denied quickly.

"Are you sure? Because I'm training to be a plumber, and fixing sinks was one of the first things I learned from Bob," he said. The poor man was just twenty seven and trying to experience all that life had to offer. He was determined to try every job or career that he could get his hands on.

"Yeah, yeah, we're sure." Lorelai nodded enthuisiastically as she tried to subtly guide Rory in the opposite direction. "We'll see ya later, Kirk," she said before turning around. Last thing she needed was Kirk tinkering with her sink and making the poor thing worse. "Dodged a bullet there," Lorelai muttered under her breath. Rory looked up to frown at her mom.

"Maybe you should let him fix it. He just wants to help," the girl said with a shrug.

"Oh, hey, dollfaces," Babette said with a big smile as she turned away from the aisle with a box of cereal in her hands. "Getting candy for movienight?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," Lorelai said with a big grin. "We need to stock up for the Molly Ringwald marathon."

"Sixteen Candles?" the older woman questioned.

"And Pretty in Pink," Lorelai threw in.

"And if I dont' fall asleep, The Breakfast Club," Rory chimed in.

"You're training her well, sugah," Babette complimented Lorelai.

"Yes, well, those who can't be in the 80's classics, watch them," the older Gilmore said with a grin.

Babette laughed. "So I heard you talking to Kirk. Having trouble with the new house?" she grimaced.

Lorelai sighed. "Yeah, but it's no big deal. Just a clogged sink," she said with a shrug. "I'm gonna call a guy tomorrow to come and fix it. I just hope it won't cost an arm and a leg," she said with a nervous laugh.

"You know Luke, from the diner? Well, he's real good with a hammer. Takes after his father. He could probably fix it right up for ya, sugah. And he'd barely charge ya a thing. Probably nothing. I mean look at ya! You're gorgeous!" Babette exclaimed. "And look at you! You're growing up to look just like your mom!" she said while looking down at Rory.

"Well, beauty runs in the family," Lorelai said with a smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

Babette nodded. "I'll say. Anyway, as I was saying, you should call Luke. I know you two really hit it off today!" she exclaimed with a big grin.

Lorelai shook her head. "Oh, well, you know, we just- I'm just a customer," she said as her eyes darted to Rory. The girl was absorbed in her list and didn't seem to be paying any attention to the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but Luke's not the most social guy in town, you know. And I heard you two were really going at it!" Babette bellowed. "Andrew heard ya's at lunch, and he couldn't beleive it! Neither could we, sugah. Luke doesn't usually talk to his customers. Not like that, anyway."

"Yes, well, he was Venus to my Serena," Lorelai said with a smile. "We were just talking. No big deal. She shrugged.

"Well, you should call him. Here, I think I have one of his cards," the older woman said as she reached to dig into her purse. After a few seconds of searching, her hand popped out with a business card between her fingers. "Here ya go, sugah."

"Thanks," Lorelai said as she took the card. She glanced at the number before slipping it into the front pocket of her jeans.

"Alright, well, I'll see you girls later."

"Bye, Babette," Lorelai called as the woman passed them to get to check out.

Lorelai sighed as she looked back at her daughter. "So, what's first?" she asked the girl.

"Milk," Rory said as she looked up at her mom

"Right." Lorelai nodded as she realized that they had finished off what they had in the fridge, this morning. "Let's go."

About a half hour later, they were all done and walking through the front door of their house. They dropped the groceries bags onto the counter and just stopped to put the perishables away, to leave the rest for later.

"I'm going to go change. Get the movie ready?"

"Yeah," Rory said with a nod. "And the snacks," she said with a smile as she held one of the candy bags up in the air.

"And the snakcs," Lorelai agreed with a smile before kissing her daughters cheek and heading upstairs to put p.j's on.

Rory turned to the cabinet to pull out a bowl for popcorn when her elbow hit her mom's purse and sent the bag falling to the floor. She looked down and sighed when she saw that a few things had spilled out. Her mom was always leaving her bag open. She could never remember to close it. Either that or she was just too lazy to. Rory knew that either one was a good possibility.

She bent down to the floor, gathering Regis, a tube of eye liner, lip gloss, car keys and a pen before her hand touched an unfamilar object. She picked up what looked to be a brochure and frowned in curiousity at the title.

"Mom!" Rory called as she ran up the stairs.

"Yeah?!" Lorelai's muffled voice called back as she was pulling a shirt over her head.

"What's this?!"

"What's what?!"

Rory quickly finished the stairs and made a quick turn at the top to get to her mother's room. She opened the door and held up the brochure for Lorelai to see.

"Oh," Lorelai said with a frown. "That."

Rory nodded. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

Lorelai sighed. She pulled her hair out from her pajama top, and then moved to sit on the bed. Her hand patted the spot next to her, and Rory sat down.

"Your teacher, Mr. Terris, he gave this to me at the conference," Lorelai started to explain as she took the brochure from her daughter. "He said that you're a very bright girl and he thinks you aren't being challenged enough. He wants you to skip a grade," Lorelai said with her eyes glued to Rory's to catch her reaction.

"Skip a grade?" Rory asked with a frown.

"Yeah." Lorelai nodded. "But I don't think it's a good idea," she said before sighing."It's your decision, babe, but he gave me this and said that no matter what you do, this should be the next step. It's one of the best schools in the country. You'll have a better shot at Harvard if you go here," Lorelai said while opening up the pamphlet. "Now I don't know what the right answer here is. I know you want to go to Harvard, and I want you to go there, but skiping a grade doesn't have to be the way. You've got a big brain and killer blue eyes and I just think you're amazing, but I don't want you growing up too fast, hon. I want you to get there," she said while gesturing to the brochure, "but you still need to be a kid, Rory. You need to be in class with Lane, and all your don't need to have so much work piled on you. You don't need to be trying to adjust to a new grade, and new classes, and new people. But I do think we should look into this school. He says you would finish out at Stars Hollow High until you finish ninth grade, and then you could apply to get in here. It's in Hartford, though, but that isn't too far, and we'll figure out a way to get you there, but I just don't want you jumping ahead to do that," Lorelai finished as she looked back to her daughter. "What do you think, sweets?"

"I don't know," Rory said, confused, as she tried to take it all in. "Can I think about it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai said quickly. "Of course."

"Do I _have_ to go here?" she asked while looking down at the brochure. "At all? Can I stay at my school?"

Lorelai frowned. "Yes, you can. I'm not going to make you go somehwere you don't want to be, but, babe, this will help you get into Harvard," Lorelai explained.

Rory nodded as she took the brochure from her mother's hands. "I do want to go to Harvard," she said thoughtfully. She then opened it up carefully, and let her eyes roam over the pictures. "Will you come with me?" she asked quietly. "If I go to Harvard, will you come with me?" She looked up at her mom with big, sad blue eyes.

"Aw, babe." Lorelai frowned as she hugged her daughter. "In a heartbeat," she said sincerely.

Rory sighed as she linked her arms around her mother's back. "I want to stay with you. Harvard is really far away," she said sadly.

Lorelai shook her head. "It's not that far, honey. And I know you feel this way now, but you'll see, as you get older, you'll probably want to be far away from me," she said with a small smile before kissing her daughter's cheek and pulling away just enough to find her eyes.

"No," Rory protested as she buried her face in her mother's neck. "You're my mommy. I want to stay with you forever," she said, scared by the thought of one day, not living with her mom. Of not seeing her everyday.

Lorelai sighed as she held her daughter close. "It's okay," she murmurred while running her fingers through her baby's hair. "It's okay."

_To be Continued..._

**Please review!!!**


	5. Flannel Man to the Rescue!

**A/N- Thank you to everyone who reviewed!!! Keep em coming!!! :D**

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annnoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Five: Flannel Man to the Rescue!**

_Crap Shack_

_Sunday Morning_

"Mom, I've made my decision," Rory announced while coming out of her room that morning.

"What decision?" Lorelai asked from the counter, where she stood reading the paper, and drinking some coffee.

"Look," the eleven year old said while holding up a notebook.

Lorelai looked away from the Stars Hollow Gazette and turned to take the book with peaked curiousity. "School," she read from the top. "If I skip a grade. Oh, kay, now I know," Lorelai said with a smile before looking back at the paper. "Pros: "I'll get to Chilton faster. It will probably look better to Harvard (if I go there.) I'll learn more. Cons: I won't get to stay with Lane for a few more years. I'll have to catch up on all the work I missed. I'll be younger then everyone else. The work will probably be harder. I don't really know anyone in the seventh grade. I'll have get used to new teachers... Guess the writing's on the wall here," Lorelai said with a grin

Rory nodded as she snatched one of the poptarts from the toaster, while leaving the other one for her mom to take.

"So you're going to stay?" Lorelai asked, wanting to make sure.

"I'm going to stay," Rory confirmed with a nod.

"And the pro/con list prevails yet again!" Lorelai exclaimed while thrusting her fist into the air. Rory laughed.

_Later_

_Square_

"Babe, come on, we're gonna miss it," Lorelai urged her daughter as they jogged down the sidewalk, towards the bus stop. There was a bus leaving for Woodbury that was set to come in less than a minute. They were heading to the town that was just ten minutes away to do some car shopping. That was first on the list. Then afterwards, the girls were going to go to _Kim's Antiques_, to pick up some things for their house.

"I'm not a good runner," Rory complained as she took her mother's hand and held on tight as they rushed to the bus stop.

"Yeah, you got that from me. Sorry, hon," Lorelai apologized as they completed the last few feet and arrived at the bench just as the bus was coming down the street.

"Just made it," she said, releived, as she tried to catch her breath

"Yeah," Rory agreed as she struggled to do the same. "We need to exercise more."

Lorelai waved the thought away. "We'll be fine in a minute, and then you'll forget all about that ridiculous idea."

_A Bit Later_

_Used Car Lot_

"Oh, look at that one!" Rory awed as she pointed to a red convertible.

Lorelai smiled. "A little out of mommy's price range, hon." Rory nodded. She reached to take her mother's hand as her curious eyes scanned the lot.

"Do you want a car, or a truck?" The eleven year old asked after a moment, hoping to narrow their search down a bit.

"Car. Or a small truck," she added. It was just her and Rory, after all. There was no need for a big gas guzzler.

"Oh, or a jeep," Rory said when her eyes found one sitting between two almost identical trucks. The only difference between the two were the colors.

Lorelai followed her daughter's outstreched arm to a find a poor, lonely jeep. It almost looked scared, sitting there between two big trucks. "Come on, let's go look," she said while starting to lead the way to the other side of the lot.

Meanwhile, inside, the eager car salesman had spotted the girls the moment they stepped foot onto the lot. They were the only ones wondering around, and he knew they would be easy prey. It would be a one, two, three, sale. He had just been waiting for the moment. The moment when they would zero in on a car, so he could zero in on them. The second they set their sites on the used jeep, was the second he was racing to beat them there. Luckily, he could cut through the store and out the back.

"Hello," the middle aged man greeted the girls after popping out between two cars.

Lorelai's heart sped up for a second. "Oh, hi," she said while pressing her hand to her chest.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized. And then his brows furrowed. "Miss, I think you dropped something," he said while pointing to the ground behind them. The second they turned around, he slapped a new price sticker over the old one.

"Sorry, guess I was mistaken," he apologized when the girls turned back to him. "So I noticed you seemed to have your eye on this jeep," he said while sliding in front of the windshield, blocking the price sticker. Lorelai nodded. "She just came in last week. Great condition, too. Barely any miles on her, either. The previous owner only had her for a year or so, and before that, this beauty was brand spanking new," he said with a big smile while slapping the hood. "Would you like to see the interior?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, sure."

The man clapped his hands together while quickly walking around to the driver's side. "Here ya go, squirt, why don't you hop in back. See if you like it," he said after moving the seat back so she could get in. Rory frowned, but she complied and jumped into the back seat. "There ya go," he said with a nod once she was all settled in. "Now your, uh, your- you can get up front," he tried to recover. He was unsure if the woman was the girl's sister, or mother, or aunt, or what. He didn't know.

Lorelai didn't bother to correct him. She focused on the car and slid into the drivers seat. "Nice," she commented with a smile while bracing her hands on the steering wheel.

"She's a good ride. Real smooth. And as you can see, the interior is in great shape. And there's an A.C in here, radio, cup holder, cigerette lighter. Even a place to put your pack," he said while tapping the small slot. "Got a mirror up here," he said while pulling the sun guard down. "Lights up too." He pressed the light on to demonstrate. He then looked back to the kid. "The top of the bench folds back, so you'll get plently of trunk space. What do you think?" he asked the woman. "You can even take her for a test drive if you want," he suggested.

Though the guy was a bit much, Lorelai thought that the car was great. She fell in love with the jeep the moment she got behind the wheel. "I think it's great," she said, repeating her thought.

"Then you'd think right," the man said with a grin. "So how bout a test drive? Or do you just want to cut to the chase?" he asked, hopeful.

Lorelai turned to her daughter. "What do you think, babe? You like it?"

"It's nice," Rory said with a nod. "But can I sit up front?"

The man laughed. "Of course you can, kid, come on!" He waved his hands for her to climb around. And although Rory wasn't talking about this very moment, she followed directions and plopped down on the passenger's seat.

"No air bag on this side," the salesman said, "so you don't have to worry about her getting hurt. It's just in the steering wheel," he explained while jerking his chin at the wheel.

"Comfy seat," Rory commented as she leaned back into it.

"They are great seats," the man agreed. "So what do you think? You want to buy the car?"

Lorelai thought about the price. It was right in her range. And that was a big must. Plus, they really needed a car. Lorelai was sick of having to walk everywhere, or take the bus.

"Let's buy it, mom," Rory encouraged with a big smile and an eager nod.

"Okay," Lorelai decided. "We'll take it. After the test drive, of course," she added.

"Great," the man's face lit up. "Well let's go get the keys then. Time is money," he said while opening the door further, so they could get out.

The girls kept up with the man and his brisk pace as he walked towards the dealership. As they went, Lorelai turned to smile at the jeep. So was so excited that they had found something so quickly.

And then she got a look at the windshield.

"Wait!" she called, stopping the man.

"Yes?" He turned back to look at her.

"Three thousand?" she questioned. "But I could swear it said two thousand."

"Nope," the man disagreed. "Three thousand," he corrected her.

Rory looked back, her face frowning at the price she saw. The young girl was positive that the sticker had said two thoushand. And the color was green with orange lettering, not the other way around.

"No, no, I know it said two thousand," Lorelai protested. She would swear it. And then suddenly it clicked. "You're trying to hassle me," she accused the man.

"Ma'am, I think you're mixing cars up," he said as his mind panicked. His ploy had worked perfectly just two days ago. Get the customer to love the car before they see the new price. Then they've already set their mind to it and can't say no. "That jeep is in mint condition. Now I can bring the price down, but nothing lower than twenty eight hundred. And that's a steal," he assured her.

"Mom, we can go?" Rory asked as she tugged on Lorelai's hand. She just didn't feel right. The guy was scaring her a little.

"Yeah, let's go." Lorelai turned around to do just that, but before she could get very far, the guy cut them off.

"Okay," he gave in, "two seventy five, but that's my final offer."

"No thanks," Lorelai refused as she kept her daughter close. "Now move please," she said politely, but firmly. The guy held up his in surrender and stepped aside . They would comeback. They almost always did. He would make this sale. He wouldn't get fired for not meeting his quota.

But they didn't come back.

"Fuck you, lady," he cursed.

_Bit Later_

_Bus_

Lorelai wrapped her arm around her daugher and pulled the girl close to her side as she looked down at her mini me. "I'm sorry, baby," she apologized. "But we'll find one," she assured Rory. "Just not today." she said through a sigh. And even though there was plently of daylight left, Lorelai was in no mood to deal with another car salesman. Especially because she realized that they would probably all try and pull the same crap. This was one of those moments where she wished she was married. A man would really have come in handy earlier.

Rory nodded. She hugged her arm around her mommy's tummy and rested her head against Lorelai's side. "That guy was mean."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "Really mean."

_Later_

_Kim's Antiques_

"This table, fifty percent off," Mrs. Kim advertised with a smile.

"Nice," Lorelai commented dully.

"Very nice," the owner agreed. "Fifty percent off," she repeated. "You want it?"

"Yeah, we'll take it."

Mrs. Kim's face brightened as she added that item to the list. Before the round, wooden kitchen table, was a desk, nighstand, and a t.v stand. She was very happy with the bill that was pilling up.

"You have no car. Delivery?" she asked.

Lorelai sighed. "Yeah."

"Very nice," the older woman said as she added the devlivery cost to the bill. She then took a moment to calculate the numbers and quickly came up with a sum.

"Three hundred and seventy five. Plus twenty five for delivery," she read with a nod while holding out the bill.

Lorelai took the paper and winced at the numbers. She reached her hand into her purse and pulled out her wallet. She had set aside two hundred dollars for today. She hadn't even planned on spending that much, but she forget that her daughter needed a nightstand and they needed something for the T.V. But two hundred dollars was it. Not including the car .She had set a thousand aside for the money down. That was sitting in her bag as well, but would go right back into the bank and remain untouched until they found something. It was for the car. The two hundred was for the house. It was the best she could come up with.

"Can I give you half now and charge the rest?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes." Mrs. Kim nodded as she took the money and began counting to make sure it was the right amount.

"Here," Lorelai said while holding out her one and only credit card. Mrs. Kim took the plastic card and swipped through. After it scanned, she handed it back to her neighbor.

"Monday, four o'clock delivery. Good?" she asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

Mrs. Kim nodded. "Thank you for your business."

After calling goodbye to her daughter, who was upstairs with Lane, planning the closet project, Lorelai left the store with a tired credit card, almost empty wallet, and fallen spirits. Though payday was this thrusday. That was just a few days away. And on Monday, the crapshack would have some new furniture. Those were the bright sides. That's what Lorelai thought, as she was trying to find the silver lining. Although still having to take the bus and walk everywhere, that was a downer. A big downer.

Absentmindedly, the broken Gilmore walked down the street to find herself infront of Luke's. The place was pretty empty. Just two tables were occupied, from what Lorelai could see. After scanning the room, she then slung her purse from her shoulder and pulled out her wallet from her bag. Just shy of twenty bucks, that's all the spending money she had. It would have to last her until Thursday.

"Should have planned this better," she grumbled in annoyance, thinking that she should have bought some of the furniture now, and the rest next weekend. And then she remembered the water cooler. And the sink. Both would have to wait until next week. She couldn't afford to charge anything else to her credit card right now. God only knew how much the sink would cost.

"Two dollars won't kill me," she whispered to herself as she plucked two bills from the small stack, before going to get some coffee. She needed a little pick me up. Although she wasn't sure if even coffee could save this one.

After hearing someone come in, Luke looked up from the counter. An immediate smile threatened to surface, but the man quickly composed himself.

"Coffee?" he asked as the woman approached the counter. Lorelai nodded. And with that, Luke turned around and quickly grabbed the pot to poor some of the hot liquid into a fresh mug.

"Thanks," Lorelai said with dull eyes and barely a hint of a smile.

Luke's brows furrowed as he watched her tip the mug back and try the coffee that she seemed to depend on so much. When she was finished with the small sip, she lowered the cup down to the counter. And then, nothing. No smile. No annoying words of excitmenet. No babbling. Just silence. With this being the third day, and seventh time that the annoying woman has come in, her behavior was confusing him. She had never been this quiet.

After debating with himself for a minute or so, Luke decided to just jump in.

"You, uh, okay?" he asked caustiously.

The woman shook her head, but didn't say a word.

Luke sighed. "You can, uh, you know, talk about it. If you want," he added quickly. "I'm not busy, and frankly, you're scaring me," he said honestly. Lorelai laughed. It was a brief quick laugh, but for some reason, Luke was just glad to see her smile. Even though it was a fleeting one.

"You always encourage strange girls to pour their hearts out? Or is it my lucky day?" she joked as the corner of her lips managed to pull up, just a little bit

Luke shrugged as he reached for the rag. "Lucky day, I guess."

Lorelai sighed. "I just had a bad day," she said at the thought of that jerk salesman. "You know, it was just one of those days where an anvil falling on my head would have been welcomed."

Luke winced. "That bad, huh?"

"Yeah," Lorelai said with a nod as she looked down to watch the stem rise from her mug.

A moment of silence followed as Luke busied himself with wiping down the counter, while Lorelai thought about how she was going to budget sixteen dollars to last the week. She knew though, that she was lucky. Her daugher wasn't materialisitc, or demanding. Rory understood the circumstances. She always has.

Luke chanced a glance at her. She just looked so defeated. And her mug was just about full. It didn't appear that she even took another sip. He didn't like it, that she looked unhappy. And for some strange reason, he was missing the crazy babbling.

"So, what happened?" he asked carefully. He knew this was a little strange, him asking a woman he barely knew to talk about her day, her problems, but she looked like she needed to talk. And it was the listening that Luke could do. He was never too big on the talking.

Lorelai's brows furrowed as she looked up at him. And here she thought the guy hated her guts.

"Excuse me, can I pay?"

"Yeah, coming," Luke said as he turned away from Lorelai to help the customer.

He finished up quickly, and then turned back to the woman. "You don't have to talk," he offered. "You just look..."

"I look what?" Lorelai asked when he didn't finish the sentence.

"I don't know. Sad," he said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I'm sad," Lorelai agreed quietly. She looked down at her mug. "We were going to buy a car today," she started, her voice just barely loud enough for Luke to hear. "She was so excited. So was I. And I had saved, and saved. The bus is annoying. When it's full you have to stand and working around it's schedule just sucks. But finally, I got my drivers license a couple of year ago and I started saving. I was determined to get a car. And finally, today, we go. I couldn't wait for today. But the guy was a total jerk. He was an ass. He thinks, just because I'm a woman, I know nothing about cars. That I can't read a sticker. I know what it said. I know what I saw," she said firmly. "And I couldn't afford what he was trying to sell it for. And even if I could, I wouldn't have bought it. But Rory liked that jeep. She wanted it. We both did. It was the cheapeast thing I saw. I can't afford much and I just, the sink, and the water, and everything, it's just a lot," Lorelai explained as tears pooled in her eyes "I can't afford to get my sink fixed. Not now. My wallet is nearing empty. Not until next week. And even then- I- the bill, and stupid delivery,it- I just-I can't-making coffee in the bathroom!" she exclaimed as a tear fell from her eye.

Luke instantly panicked. The annoying woman was crying. He didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry," Lorelai quickly apologized as she wiped her eyes. "I didn't mean to start crying," she said while trying to compose herself.

"It's okay," Luke assured her. He was just glad that she seemd to be getting it together. "Did you say something about your sink?" he asked. He wasn't able to make total sense of what she had said, but he did manage to pick that out.

Lorelai nodded. "Why?" she asked.

"I can fix it," he said with a shrug. "I'm not plumber or anything, but,"

"You're good with a hammar," she filled in. Luke's brows furroed. Lorelai managed to laugh a little. "Babette told me you can fix things. She actually told me to call you, that you could do it, but I didn't feel right asking you. I barely know you. You barely know me. You don't even know my name," she realized with a smile.

Luke shook his head. "Lorelai," he said simply. "Lorelai Gilmore, that's your name."

Lorelai's brows quirked. He said it so different. Slow. Like he took the time to say every letter, every sound. He said it perfectly.

"How'd you?

"Kirk," he shrugged with a grin.

"Of course," Lorelai grumbled.

"So, I know your name. You know mine. I can fix your sink. And today if you want."

Lorelai frowned. "You must have missed the part about me beaing broke. I couldn't pay you much. Nothing really." She winced. "Not until next week."

Luke waved her off. "Don't worry about it," he assured her.

Lorelai sighed. "I will pay you," she said firmly. "So tonight? Six? Seven? Or anytime after dinner, really. I'll be home all night."

"Six is fine," Luke confirmed.

Lorelai nodded as she reached for a napkin. She leaned over, plucked the pen that sat in Luke's breast pocket, and scribbled a few things down.

"Here," she said while handing it to him. "My address and number.

Luke took it, glancing down at the words before folding it up and sliding it into his pocket.

"So I'll see ya later?" she asked while reaching into her purse.

Luke nodded, but he held his hand out to stop her. "You barely drank anything. No charge," he said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked with a wince. She wasn't comfortable with this, and hated asking for help, or even accepting a favor, but she really needed to save the pennies. Rory would need money for the week. For school and stuff.

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "I'll see ya tonight."

Lorelai smiled. "Bye, Luke."

"Luke?" he questioned with a smirk. She had called him Duke every other time.

Lorelai shrugged as she gathered her things. "You're being too nice for me to use your nickname. Maybe tomorrow," she said with a shrug. "Bye," she called again, before opening the door and leaving.

"Bye, Lorelai," he whispered.

_To Be Continued..._

**Please Review!!! :D**


	6. Not Just for Cooking Use

A/N- First, I would like to apologize for the long wait. I had this chapter finished and ready to go over the weekend, but something was wrong with the site- as most of you have probably seen,- and I wasn't able to log on.

Next, I want to thank everyone who reviewd!!! I'm getting more reviews with every chapter, and its seems like they're getting longer, and that's awseome! I love that you guys are taking the time to tell me your opinons. It really does mean to a lot to me. : ). Keep it up!!!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Six: Not Just for Cooking Use**

_Kim's Antiques_

"Oh, you should get a disco ball!" Rory suggested, her eyes widening at the idea.

"Oh, good idea!" Lane agreed. She quickly picked up her clipboard and added the item to their growing list. "Okay, so we have radio, fuzzy rug, bean bag chair, gumball machine, cooler, and disco ball," the girl read before laying back agianst the floor. Rory copied the motion so they were laying side by side.

A moment of silence passed before Lane broke it. "Do you think this'll work?" she asked hopeful.

Rory tilted her head to look at her friend. "Yeah," she said with a nod. "We just have to figure out how we're going to get everything," she said before looking back at the ceiling.

"Well I could help out downstairs. Sometimes my mom pays me to clean stuff," she said with a shrug.

Rory nodded. "Yeah. Sometimes mom lets me help out at the Inn for some money," she said when an idea popped into her head. "My birthday's in three weeks!" she just realized while sitting up. "And I haven't made a list yet. Well I haven't finished it, and we can split the stuff up," she suggested while taking the clipboard from Lane. "I'll take the bean bag chair, gumball machine, and disco ball," she decided. "You work on the radio, the rug, and the cooler. This way, if your mom catches you, you can just say that you wanted a rug for your room cause the floor is cold, and um, the radio because you want to buy some gospel music, and this way, you have something to play it on. And the cooler, um,... oh! You can get one that looks like a lunch bag, you know?" Lane nodded. "And you can just say you needed one for school. And I'll get the other stuff, and then we just have to figure out how to sneak it up here," Rory finished with a shrug.

Lane sighed. "It's a plan."

_Later_

"Bye!" Rory called as she waved to her best friend and Mrs. Kim, who had dropped her off on their way to bible study.

"Bye, Rory!" Lane smiled.

The young girl hurried across her lawn and up the porch stops. She made her way to the swing and plopped her back down on it to fish for her key. Her mom had called while she was with Lane and said that Mia had called and asked if she could come in and fill in for Sara, who was a maid. She was sick, or something. Rory wasn't exactly sure, and Lorelai warned her daughter that she may get home just a few minutes after the girl. It was no big deal of course. Stars Hollow was a safe town, and they lived next door to a woman who just adored Rory. And being left home alone, at eleven, isn't a big deal. Not for a short period of time, anyway. It's happeend before. Ten minutes here, five minues there... it was fine. Rory was never left alone for any extended period of time.

It took her a minute or so, but finally, she was able to seperate the small object from the rest of her school things, plus the plan's for Lane's closet. That's why she had her backpack with her. It was needed to sneak things into the Kim house. And just as she pulled it out with a triumphet smile lighting her face, a noise caught her attention. She turned around and her brows furrowed when she spotted an old green truck grumbling up the drive way. Her body immediatly froze and panic settled in as she tried to remember what her mom had told her to do if ever a situation like this were to present itself. She was supposed to run. And scream. Scream as loud as she could. And she was supposed to get help.

Just as her mouth opened to yell for Babette, her neighbor's vioce stopped her.

"Hey, sugah!" the woman called.

Rory's head turned to the red house and her confusion grew when she saw that the woman wasn't talking to her.

"Hey, Babette," another voice called, this one deep and low.

Rory looked to the source and relief washed over when she recongized the man to be Luke. He was just sliding out from the car and moving towards the back of the truck.

"You fixing Lorelai's sink?!" the older woman asked.

Rory darted her eyes back to Babette to find her setting up the hose so she could spray her thirsty lawn.

"Yup," Luke answered.

Rory turned back to the swing to grab her back pack. As she settled it on her shoulder's, she tried to recall if her mom had mentioned anything about Luke coming to fix their sink. The young girl realized though, that her mom was in a hurry. They only talked for not even a minute. She must have just forgotten to add that in. And what was even more mind boggling, was that Rory couldn't understand why a man who worked at a diner, was coming to fix their sink. She did remember overhearing something Babette had said at Doose's the other day, about him being good with a hammar, but she wasn't really listening to the conversation.

Just as Rory had decide to give up on trying to figure things out, she turned around to find Luke coming up the pathway to the porch.

"Hello," she greeted the man who had the best pancakes in town. They were fluffy, and amazing. She found that out for herself yesterday morning.

"Oh, hey," he said, blinking back surprise. Although he wasn't sure why he was; the girl was Lorelai daughter, so of course she would be here.

"That your tool box," she asked with a pointing finger at the metal box that was dangling at his side.

"Yup," Luke said with a nod as he looked down at it.

"So, you're going to fix our sink?" she asked curiously, wanting to make sure that she had heard right.

Luke nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "Your mom home? She told me six was okay," he asked while looking down at his watch and finding that it was just two minutes past.

Rory shook her head. "She's at work. Someone called in sick and she's helping Mia out," the girl explained. "But she should be here any second," she assured him.

Luke's brows furrowed. "Mia?" he asked. "Mia Halloway?"

Rory nodded. "You know her?"

"Yeah," Luke confirmed. "She was away for a while."

"Yeah," Rory agreed, "but she's back now since Ellen is leaving. And well, Ellen isn't the nicest person and Mia didn't want her training mom, so she's back. Came in a few days ago. And it works out good, too, cause it's tourist season and the Inn gets really busy, and so it's good that she's there to help out. That's what mom said. But Mia usually comes back around this time of year, anyway, " the girl finished explaining with a shrug. "She likes the weather. She always says it's too hot in Santa Barbra, but for some reason, she always goes back," Rory said, confused as her brows quirked. "Maybe it's that whole, absence makes the heart grow fonder, thing. I don't know. But anyway, she's back now," Rory finished with a smile.

Luke couldn't help but crack a smile. The kid could ramble on just like her mom. Although at least she made a little more sense while doing it.

"Well, um, I guess you should come in now," Rory said with a small wince as she turned to look at the door, while biting down on her lower lip. She wasn't really sure if she should wait for her mom to let Luke in, or just go. She did manage to rationalize that her mom was the one who set this up and the guy was being kind enough to help out. She shouldn't really keep him waiting. He probably had other things to do.

Luke noticed the hesitation on the girl's face. "We can wait for your mom if you want," he offered with a shrug. Casear was covering at the diner and things were starting to slow down anyway, as the dinner rush was winding to a close.

"Are you sure?" Rory asked. "Don't you have to get back to work?"

Luke shook his head. "Not for a while."

"Positive?"

Luke smiled. "Here, we can sit," he said while hopping up on the porch and setting his tool box down beside it. He sat down on the swing and patted the space next to him for Rory to sit. The girl quickly let her backpack slide to the floor before taking a seat beside him and letting her feet dangle in the air.

Luke setttled back agianst the wood while resting his arm on the arm rest. He gripped his fingers around the edge and frowned when he felt that it was loose.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked when he turned away from her. She tried to peer around his shoulder, and was able to see that he was messing with the arm rest.

"It's loose," he explained while squatting down to the floor. "Think your mom'll mind if I fix it?"

"No, she'll be happy. Free labor," Rory said with an eager nod.

Luke laughed. The girl really seemed to have her mother's humor.

"Good," Luke said with an amused smile as he opened up his tool box and went to work.

Rory watched as he pulled out some sort of bottle of glue, some nails, and a hammar. "What is that?" she asked, pointing to the bottle that looked to be holding yellow glue. If it even was glue. She wasn't sure.

"Wood glue," Luke explained. "The bottom here is loose," he said while jiggling the piece of wood that connected that arm to the bench. "This, and a few nails should hold it."

"Oh," Rory said with a nod. "Good."

Luke nodded. He stuck the bottle between the two pieces of wood and managed to get some glue into the small space.

"So how come you work at a diner?" Rory asked a moment later, curiously.

"What?"

"If you can fix things, how come you work at a diner? Why not, like, home depot or something," she said with a shrug. Not that she's ever stepped foot into the store, but she's passed it while on the bus with her mom. "Or the diner? It was a hardware store before, right? How come you didn't keep it the same?"

"Wanted to do something different," Luke said with a shrug. "I can cook, and people gotta eat, so I thought what the hell- I mean heck," he recoverd quickly when he realized that he was talking to kid. Rory giggled.

Just as silence fell and Rory was was ready to finish observing the fixing process, both heads turned to the approaching noise. The girl's face lit up when she saw Sookie's car coming up the drive. She quickly hopped off the swing, and in her excitement, almost sent the thing flying into Luke's face, but luckily, the man reacted quickly.

"Oops, sorry," Rory apologized through her giggles before running down the porch.

"Hi, Sookie!" She waved to her mom's best friend

"Hey, popcorn," the woman said with a smile.

"Thanks for the ride, Sook. I'll see ya tomorrow," Lorelai said hurriedly after spotting Luke on the porch.

"Bye!" Sookie called while backing out of the drive.

"Hug," Rory demanded with a warm smile, and wide blue eyes.

"Hug," Lorelai agreed with a grin as she held her arms open.

Rory leaned her head agianst her mom's tummy before tipping her chin up at her. "Luke's here to fix the sink," she said before craning her neck to look at him.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "Sorry, hon, I think I forgot to mention that earlier."

"It's okay," Rory assured her as they walked side by side to the house. "How was Lane's?

"Good. We have a plan," she said with a smile.

"A plan which you will tell me nothing about. No details," Lorelai warned her. "Mom code," she cautioned.

"I know." Rory nodded.

"Did you eat?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah," Rory said with a wrinkle of her nose. "It was weird pasta, though. And tofu, " she added.

"Ew," Lorelai agreed. "Well why don't you go on up and shower. School tomorrow," she reminded her daughter. "Then when you're done, we'll order Chinese. Deal?"

"Deal," Rory said with an eager smile.

They reached the porch and Rory quickly hopped up each step. "Thanks, Luke," she said with a smile while picking up her back pack. "Have fun," she said with a grin while turning to the door.

Luke looked up and couldn't help but smile at the young girl's fading giggles.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked curiously as she bent to try and get a look.

"Fixing your porch swing," he explained while pushing a nail through the wood. "Arm was loose," he explained.

"Oh. You didn't have to do that," Lorelai said with a frown.

Luke shrugged. "I was here. Had my toolbox. It's easy to fix."

"Thanks," Lorelai said with a smile. "So, were you waiting long?" she asked as her face winced. "I got stuck at work, and I would've called, but I realized that I didn't have your number with me, so I couldn't," she explained.

Luke waved her off. "It's okay," he said. "Wasn't here long," he assured her. "And this is all done," he said while giving the arm a quick jiggle to make sure it was secure. When he found that it was in nice and tight, he dumped the few tools he had used, back in the box, then stood up with a grunt as he looked down at his knee.

Lorelai frowned. "Did you hurt your leg?"

"Yeah. Broke it in highschool. Then dislocated my knee two years later. Damn thing acts up sometimes," he said while bending his leg back and forth.

Lorelai's eyes widened a bit. "How did you do that?"she asked while leading him into her house.

"Broke my leg while on my bike. Damn car blew through a stop sign and hit me."

"Oh my God!" Lorelai awed as she turned to look at him with a frown.

"Yeah. Had to have surgery and everything." Luke sighed at the memory of his mother rushing outside to find him lying in the middle of the street, his leg broken and sirens sounding in the distance. She couldn't stop crying.

Lorelai hung her purse and jacket up in the foyer, then turned to look at him. "And I complain about my poor pinky," she sulked while holding the finger up in the air.

Luke smiled. "What happened?" he asked.

"Closed the car door on it," she said with a shrug. "And yeah, I know, it's weird that a pinky would get stuck in the door, but mine did!" she exclaimed, defending her poor finger with a pout.

Luke laughed. And then he realized that it wasn't the first time today. And within a half hour period, too. There usually wasn't much to laugh about at the diner. He was just always focused on getting through the work day, going to sleep, and then doing it all over again. This was a little weird for him.

"You want anything to eat? Drink?" Lorelai asked as she guided him through the short hall and into the kitchen. "Although I don't really have much to eat unless you like mallomars, or poptarts, or um," she hummed while swinging the fridge open. Her face frowned when all she found was an almost finished cartoon of milk, three water bottles, left over pizza, and a bottle of chocoloate syrup. She quickly moved on to the freezer and her eyes lit up when she found a box of popsicles. "Want an icepop?" she asked with an advertising smile.

"No thanks," Luke said with a smile while shaking his head. "You know what all that sugar and dye crap does to you?" he asked.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, you've been giving me the feeling that you're one of those annoying health nuts. No candy No sweets. No take out. No cookies. Nothing but vegtables and fruit. Icky bird food," she said with a wrinkle of her nose. "You do eat meat, don't you?" she asked, hopeful. "Or have you completely gone to the dark side?"

"The dark side?" Luke said with an amused grin.

"Vegetarian," Lorelai whispered darkly.

"Nope," Luke said. "I'm a carnivore. Not as bad as you though," he said through a sigh while putting his tool box down on the counter.

"Hey, we have sharp teeth for a reason, Duke!" Lorelai defended while pointing her index finger at

him.

"That's back, huh?"

"Yup," Lorelai confirmed while turning to the fridge. "Here. I assume you'll work up quite the sweat doing... whatever it is you do to fix a sink," she said with a frown while holding out the bottle.

"Thanks," he said while taking the water. "And yeah, I'm sure I'll really break a sweat pouring liquid down a drain," he said saractically while pulling out a bottle of liquid plumber from his tool box.

Lorelai looked at the bottle, confused. "That's it? That's all it takes?"

"Hopefully," Luke said with a shrug while opening the bottle. "Unless it's something deeper, then I may need to take apart some pipes," he explained.

"Oh," Lorelai said with a small nod as she watched him tip the bottle over the drain. She quickly moved to stand behind him and watched with mild interest as the liquid slowly fell into the sink .

"How long does it take?"she whispered, like she thought her voice would interrupt the process.

"Fifteen, twenty minutes," Luke said with a shrug as he finished pouring. He then placed the bottle on the counter and sighed as he peered down into the sink.

"Now what?" Lorelai asked as she saw that nothing was happening. Appear to be happening anyway.

"Now we wait," Luke said while putting the bottle back in the box. "I can go while it's working. I should check in at the diner, anyway. Then I'll come back to make sure it worked," he offered.

"Oh," Lorelai said as her face fell. "Well, yeah, you could... or we could watch T.V, or something," she suggested. "Fifteen minutes isn't that long," she said with a shrug. She didn't want to be rude and kick him out of her house, especially since he was doing her a favor.

Luke shrugged tiredly. It had been a long day. "Yeah, okay," he agreed.

"Okay," Lorelai agreed with a smile as she turned to lead the way into the living room. And then suddenly she found herself getting nervous. Her heart sped up a bit, and she was starting to panic.

She reached the couch, and when she did, she spun around quickly. "So, um, why don't you, uh, make yourself at home," she sputtered as she turned to gesture to the couch. "I'm just gonna, um, go up and check on Rory. Be right back," she said before turning on her heel and racing upstairs.

"Rory," Lorelai whispered loudly as she knocked on the door.

"Yeah!?"she yelled over the water.

"I need to talk to you," Lorelai said before ducking a look behind her.

"What?!" Rory said when she couldn't hear her mom.

Lorelai sighed. She quickly opened the door, then walked through the room to sit on the closed toilet. "Jeez, it's a damn steam room in here," she complained while trying to see through the fog.

"Happens when you use up all the hot water," Rory said with a grin as she popped her head through the curtain. "Can I have that?" she asked, nudging her chin towards the towel that was hanging from the ring.

Lorelai nodded. She reached over to grab the towel, then put it in her daughter's outstretched hand.

"Thank you," Rory sang as she turned the water off, then wrapped the towel around her.

"So what did you need to talk about that couldn't wait until I have clothes on," Rory grumbled as she stepped out of the shower.

"Hey, I changed your diapers missy. It's nothing I haven't seen."

Rory's brows furrowed. "Well soon I'll have boobs, and then that won't be true anymore," she said before sticking her tongue out at her mom. Lorelai laughed.

"Is the sink fixed?" she asked while pulling her brush out from the draw.

"Not yet." Lorelai shook her head. "But Luke put this plumber stuff in there and he said it takes some time."

"Oh," Rory said with a nod.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "And he's in the living room. On our couch," she paniced.

"What?" Rory turned to look at her mom with questioning eyes.

"Luke, he's on the couch, waiting for me. I asked him to stay, because you know, it would have been kind of rude to make him leave, just to have him come back in fifteen minutes," she reasoned.

"Yeah," Rory agreed. "Your a good hostess," she said with a smile.

"Thank you. But what do I do?" she asked urgently.

Rory shrugged. "Just go watch T.V. Fifteen minutes isn't that long, and you've been up here for a little while. It's probably like ten minutes by now."

"Yeah, yeah, true," Lorelai nodded before taking in a breath. "Okay, well, I should get back."

Rory nodded as she ran the brush through her hair. "Think he'll be done by the time I dry my hair and get dressed?" she asked. Lorelai nodded. "Good," she said with a smile. "I really want an egg roll."

Lorelai laughed. "I'll call you when he's done," she said before kissing her daughter's cheek, and then leaving.

Lorelai took the stairs carefully. When she was able to see, she craned her neck to a get glimpse at the couch. Luke was sitting there, on the end, with his hands on his lap. She didn't hear the T.V on or anything, and he was just sitting there, his eyes roaming the room.

"Hey," she called to get his attention when she reached the landing.

"Oh, hey," Luke shook his head away from the row of pictures that lined the mantle.

"Nothing good on?" Lorelai asked as she gestured to the T.V.

"Oh, uh, I don't know "

Lorelai smiled. "Poor Duke, can't work a remote," she teased while walking a line to the couch. And then she froze. She wasn't sure how close she should sit. Should she go on the other side? She considered that for a second, but then quickly dismissed the thought. It would be a little weird if she went and sat a mile away from him, like he was a leper or something. Then she saw that he was on one cushion, so Lorelai decided to just sit on the next one. So that's what she did. Their bodies were about half a foot away from each other.

Lorelai went through the channel's quickly, trying to find something mildy interesting to watch. And she was careful to keep her eyes forward. She was still a little weirded out by the situation. She and Rory never had company. Not here. And much less, a boy. Even at the Inn, the only visitors they had were Mia and Sookie. And that was rare. Usually her and Rory would hang out with them at the Inn. She just wasn't used to this. And especially someone she barely knew. A boy she barely knew. She had strict rules about boys. But then again, she wasn't dating this boy. He was just a friend. Sort of. More like coffee provider. Sparring partner. Just a nice guy who had offered to fix their sink. Lorelai didn't have rules for that. It wasn't a, no nice guys who fix things allowed, club house. It was more like a, no romantically invovled guys allowed, club house. She was always careful to keep her dating life seperate from Rory. That is, the few dates that she's been on. Not even close to a handful of guys, and none of them lasted very long. But now here she was, with a boy on her couch. She kept mentally reminding herself, over and over again, that he was a nice guy who was fixing their sink. That's all. Nothing wrong with that.

"So, what do you want to watch?" Lorelai asked, breaking the silence.

"Whatever you want," Luke dismised.

Lorelai nodded. She flicked the channel up again and stopped when she found that _Friends_ was on. "Do you like this show?" she asked without looking at him.

Luke shook his head. "Never seen it."

"Well, then let the education process begin," she said while turning up the volume and letting the episode play.

They watched T.V in silence, both adults a little umcomfortable, and unsure of what to do. So they just watched the show, letting that pass the time for them. Though Luke wasn't really all that interested in what was playing on T.V. He couldn't help but chance a glance a Lorelai after she laughed at something that happened. Something that some guy, Joey, got yelled at for doing. Luke's lips pulled up into a smile, and he found himself entranced by her. He couldn't help it.

"I can't believe you've never seen this show," Lorelai said with a sad shake of her head as she watched Joey handling the pet Chick that he bought for Chandlor. "Although it's only the third season, so there's still plenty of time to catch up. Something I highly recommend doing," she said with a smile.

Her voice jarred him and he quickly looked back to the screen. "Don't really watch T.V," he said with a shrug. "Usually just check the score before bed."

"Score?" she questioned.

He nodded. "You know, sports."

"Oh, that," Lorelai said with a frown.

"So, uh, your sink should be good now. If the stuff worked," he added with a shrug.

"Oh, good," Lorelai said before turning the T.V off and getting up.

Luke quickly joined her before leading the way back to the kitchen. When he reached the sink, he looked at the drain. "Do you have a container, or something?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah." Lorelai nodded as she reached into the cabinet and pulled out the bowl that they usually used for popcorn.

"Thanks," Luke said while turning on the water and holding the bowl below the nosel. He quickly found the hot water, then let the bowl fill. After that was done, he slowly spilled it bit by bit into the drain.

"Looks good," he commented a few moments later when everything seemed to be working okay.

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked as her face brightened.

Luke nodded. He finished pouring the rest of the water, and then put the bowl down. "Well, my work here is done," he said with a grin.

"Thank you," Lorelai said with a big smile. "Really, you have no idea how much I was freaking. Not being able to fix your sink really gets ya."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Well it was no problem," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai nodded. "Here," she said while pulling money out from her pocket. "I got a little advance on my paycheck. Mia's too nice to me," she said with a small sigh. And she didn't even need to explain her problem to the woman. Seems one of the gossip queens was in the diner, and heard her little melt down. They reported to Mia, who just wouldn't take no for an answer. And normally Lorelai would refuse it. Though this was one of those few occasions where she did accept it. It was really needed right now.

"Oh, no, really," Luke said while shaking his head, "keep it."

"No, Luke, I want to pay you," she said firmly. This wasn't a favor; he was doing a job. She was going to pay him eventually, but since she had the money handy, she wanted to do it now.

"I just poured this crap down the drain, it was no big deal," he insisted. He knew she needed it right now, and even so, he wouldn't take her money. Not for this. He offered and he saw it as a favor. That's all. It was his idea. He wasn't going to accept money for it, and especially when he didn't do much.

"Luke, please," Lorelai begged. "Just take it," she said with big blue eyes and tone that Luke couldn't seem to refuse.

The man sighed. He quickly took the money, and then shoved it into his pocket. "I should get going. Diner's probably on fire by now."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks," she said again.

"You're welcome. I'll see ya, Lorelai," he said before grabbing his tool box and disappearing into the hall.

Before leaving, he stopped at the coat rack. After glancing over his shoulder and finding that the coast was clear, he slipped the money out, and put it in her coat pocket. Then, quickly and quietly, he made his exit. And of course, before going, he checked on the porch swing. Just to make sure the glue held.

_To be continued..._

**Please Review!!! Thank you!!!**


	7. Bells say Hello

A/N-

I want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter, as well as those of you who have been steadily reviewing! I love the feedback! It really does help. : D

And one quick thing, I just want to warn everyone in advance that there won't be any new updates on this, or A Baby Changes Everything, until at least late next week. Maybe sooner. And that's a big maybe. School's getting really busy. I swear my teachers have all conspired to give mid terms during the same week, so I have a lot of work to do. Might not even be anything until next weekend, although I am hoping to get in at least a chapter for this story before that. We'll see.

Anyway, I didn't mean to go babbling on.

On with the story!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Seven: Bells say Hello**

_October_

"A Disco ball? Lorelai questioned with furrowed brows. "Don't I have a disco ball?"

Rory shrugged. "I can't tell you why, but I need a disco ball," she said with a nod as they headed for the diner.

It was just a week before the girl's birthday, and she had finally managed to finish up her list. The things for "operation makeover" were right at the top.

"Bean bag chair? Where the hell would you put a bean bag chair?" Lorelai asked after reading the next item. Her daughter wasn't exactly living like the Olsen's twins. Her room wasn't all that big. Neither was their house.

Rory sighed. "I can't tell you that either. Now come on, I'm hungry." Rory said while taking her mother's hand and leading her into Luke's.

"Fine, but this isn't over," Lorelai warned as they weaved through the crowed to find an empty table. "I will find out. You can't keep secrets from me. I'll spy!" she exclaimed.

Rory rolled her eyes, and said, "I'm not keeping secrets from you. Just one. A Tiny one."

Lorelai's brows arched. "And since when is our relationship built on lies? We don't live with the Pope, missy.

Rory's brows furrowed. "Aren't we Christian?"

Lorelai nodded, and said, "Yup, we're pro God all the way. But you know about all those conspiracy theories floating around," she said with a dismissive shrug while turning to her purse for some lip gloss.

Rory shook her head. "What theories?" she asked, the eleven year always eager to absorb new information.

"Oh, you know, that Mary Magdalene wasn't really, um… popular with the boys," she stuttered, realizing that the word, slut, wouldn't have been the best choice of words. "Oh, and something about the Holy Grail and it not being a cup, I don't know." Lorelai shrugged. "I fell asleep watching the History Channel last night. Couldn't find the remote."

"You know, you should really watch that channel, and not just cause your lazy and wouldn't look for the remote, but because it has really good shows. You'll learn a lot," Rory promised.

Lorelai smiled. "And that's why I'm Pinky, and you're the Brain."

Rory grinned, and said, "So you think we'll finally take over the world tonight?"

"Well if snowball stays out of the way, yeah."

"Cool."

"Ugh, where's Luke. I'm going to be late," Lorelai complained as she darted her eyes around the room, searching for the coffee man.

Rory shrugged. "I don't know, but my tummy's hungry and it wants pancakes," she said with a smile, while patting her stomach.

"Pancakes coming up," Lorelai said with a nod while sliding out her chair, and standing up. "Be right back."

Lorelai zig-zaged past tables, and around chairs until she finally reached the counter, where Luke was helping a customer.

"Hey, Duke, I need pancakes and sausage for Rory, and the same for me too. Oh, but add bacon to mine. And coffee. Oh, and milk for Rory."

Luke turned at her voice and said, "Hey, I didn't know you were here."

Lorelai smiled. "Well of course you didn't mister- I-don't-have-eyes-in-the-back-of-my-head-and-refuse-to-hire-any-help."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I got Caesar, that's enough. We're not having this argument again," he warned while swerving around the counter.

Lorelai frowned. "Fine, but you should at least get a bell or something for the door."

Luke shook his head while pouring her coffee. "Bell's are annoying."

"Ah, yes, but that annoying jingling would let you know when someone's here," she pointed out with a smile.

"But then that stupid thing would be making noise every five seconds. No thanks. Here," he said while handing her a full mug. "Pancakes coming up," he promised before turning to the kitchen.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at his disappearing body. "If you don't buy a bell, I'll just get one for you. And it will be big! And loud! And pink!" she yelled.

"Fine, whatever, I'll get a damn bell," Luke gave in, not having the time to argue with her. It was a busy morning.

With a victorious smile, Lorelai turned to head back for her table.

_Later_

_School_

"So your mom's letting you come, right?" Rory asked Lane as they were on their way to their lockers.

"Yeah, but she won't let me stay over."

"Yeah," Rory agreed with a sigh. "Maybe next year," she said, hopeful.

"Maybe," Lane agreed as they stopped in front of Rory's locker first. "Oh, my mom gave me some money yesterday."

"How much?"

"Thirty," Lane said with a frown.

"Well you can probably buy the radio with that," Rory pointed out.

Lane nodded. "Yeah. How much did you get?"

"Not much," Rory said with a wince. "But mom says that when she becomes assistant manager she'll be making more money and she'll be able to pay me a little more for helping out at the Inn," the girl said with a shrug. "Oh, and I finished my list today. Mom has it. And if I get the stuff, then we'll just have the cooler and the rug to buy."

"How are we going to buy everything, though? Our mom's can't take us."

"Oh, "Rory realized as she reached into her locker, "yeah. Well the radio we can buy from Kirk. They have some at the video store."

"He's working there again?"

"Yeah," Rory confirmed, having seen him there over the weekend, when she and her mom went to pick up some movies for movie night.

"That's like the tenth time. Wonder why he keeps quitting."

"I don't know, but he keeps saying he wants to experience life," Rory said with a shrug.

"Kirk's weird."

"Yeah."

_The Inn_

"Lorelai!" Mia called as she hurried from her office.

The woman turned away from the kitchen door to find her boss approaching. "Hey, Mia."

"I have a little surprise for you," the older woman said with a growing smile.

Lorelai's face fell. "Oh, Mia, I promise, we're doing fine. I really don't need an advance."

"Good, because I wasn't offering one," she said with a grin. "Ellen's not feeling well. Poor thing's been vomiting all morning."

"Really?" Lorelai questioned, surprised. "Shouldn't she be over that by now?"

"Yes, well, it happens sometimes," Mia waved off. "Anyway, while I could very well fill in for Ellen myself, I was hoping that you wouldn't mind doing it."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Yes."

"But the luncheon, it,"

"Is all planned and will be wonderful," Mia filled in with a smile.

"But, Mia, I've never worked the front desk," Lorelai panicked.

"Honey, all you have to do is help with the phones and handle customers checking in and out, you know that," she said with comforting smile. "Lisa will be with you, and you know where to find me if things get too busy."

"Yes, but,"

"No buts," the woman said firmly, but gently. "Now come on," she said while wrapping her arm around Lorelai's shoulder and leading her behind the desk. And of course, the moment they got there the phone started ringing.

Lorelai stopped, her eyes looking around for Lisa, but then she realized that the manager was on break. "Oh, uh," she stammered while reaching for the phone. "Independence Inn, this is Lorelai speaking. How may I help you?" she said, mimicking the introduction she's heard a dozen times.

Mia gave the girl a smile before turning back to her office.

_Later_

_Stars Hollow Jr/Sr High school_

_Cafeteria_

It was the first half of the lunch hour, the time for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders to eat, before the higher grades would barge through. They were technically the kids in middle school, and Stars Hollow did their best to separate them from the older kids as much as possible. The town was just too small to have two buildings and two sets of staff for each, so they made do with what they had.

"Hey, Rory!" Kathy Fincher exclaimed as she went running to her friend, who was standing on line.

"Hi, Kathy," the young Gilmore said with a smile.

"My mom said I can go to your party next weekend," she said with a bright smile.

"Oh, good," Rory said while reaching into her backpack to grab her working check list.

"Oh, and Lena's coming too. Your party was _so _much fun last year with that scavenger hunt!" the tween gushed. "Are you having one again this year?" she asked, hopeful.

"I don't know," Rory said with a frown. "My mom says doing the same thing every year is boring and predictable, and people won't remember," she said with a shrug.

"Oh, well, we should do it again."

The young Gilmore nodded. "Yeah, it was fun," she agreed. "Oh, but I know mom said that we're going to the beauty store to get nail polish and stuff. She said we're going to get our own baskets and we can fill them with whatever we want."

Kathy's eyes widened. "Oh my God! We're getting makeup!?"

Rory nodded.

"Lena! We're getting makeup!" she exclaimed while running back to her friend.

Lane and Rory giggled.

_The Inn_

"Oh, I came back just in time, didn't I," Lisa said when she spotted the line that was forming at the front desk.

"Hi, may I help you?" Lorelai asked with a polite smile, trying to keep her cool. She didn't want to get too stressed or anything; she wanted to show Mia that she could do this.

"Yeah, there's something wrong with my bill," an older man barked as he held up the paper.

"Oh, let me see that, sir," Lisa said with swooping in.

"Hey, I can,"

"Lorelai, it's okay, I've got it."

The Gilmore took a reluctant step back, handing the situation over. Truth was, she wasn't exactly sure what she would have done. She had never really dealt with a difficult customer, or problem before. Ellen had never really gone into that, and Lorelai didn't like asking questions. The woman just always had a way of making her feel stupid when she did, so Lorelai kept her mouth shut. Not that Ellen really did much with Lorelai. Just some basic training and only when Mia was around. It was all for show.

"Let me just pull this up on the computer here, and then we'll get this fixed right away. I'm sorry, sir," Lisa apologized.

Lorelai sighed.

_Later_

_Diner_

It was that time again. The hour between lunch and dinner, right around three in the afternoon. And Luke had nothing to do, but wipe down the counter for the millionth time. There was no one to serve, nothing to cook. There were no boxes to be unloaded, and no shakers to fill.

Luke sighed as he looked around the empty room. Even Caesar was gone. The chef was off on a late lunch break, leaving Luke alone with his empire.

"I need a damn life," he muttered under his breath while grabbing a rag to start cleaning again, when a noise outside caught his attention. He looked up to find an ice cream truck passing by, probably on its way to the school to shanghai the kids who were just getting out for the day.

"Stupid bell," Luke grumped. And then he remembered. His eyes went to the door, and he recalled the conversation he had this morning with Lorelai. She wanted him to buy a bell, something about the noise and customers coming in. He wasn't exactly sure what she had said. She was babbling a mile a minute, like usual, and he was really busy, so he didn't pay the words much attention.

"Like I want one of those damn things in here," he cursed while grabbing the rag. But then he saw her outside, walking hand and hand with her daughter, and his arm stilled.

"Bye, Lane!" the girls mumbled shout came in through the window as Rory's friend ran ahead of them.

Luke quickly darted to the window, his curiosity wondering what was going on. The young girl was heading towards the antique store, and then he realized that she was Mrs. Kim's daughter.

Luke looked back the other way and couldn't help but stare at the beautiful, babbling woman and her smiling face. He noticed that she most always wore the biggest, proudest smile when she was with Rory. It made Luke want to smile, that's how powerful it was. And it always did. But he always managed to catch himself before it could reach his eyes, sometimes sooner.

Lorelai looked up from her daughter, and before Luke could realize, her head shot up to look right at him, like she knew he was standing right there. She lifted her hand to wave at him, and Luke automatically followed suit. He watched with interest as her smile grew, but then she turned to laugh at Rory, and Luke's face fell.

He stood there a second longer, before they disappeared from site, and then he dashed for the cash register.

Lorelai and Rory were just crossing the street by Doose's when a voice stopped them.

"Oh hey," the older Gilmore greeted Luke.

"Hey," he said with a nod. "Hey, Rory," he greeted the girl.

"Hi, Luke," she said brightly.

"So, uh, you said something about a bell earlier," he said awkwardly.

"A bell?" Rory questioned.

Lorelai smiled as she turned to Luke while leading the way again. "Yes, and I stand by what I said," she warned playfully with a pointing index finger at him.

"They're annoying," the man grumped while walking alongside her.

"Yeah, especially at school," Rory agreed. "Lunch always goes by too fast," she breathed through a sigh.

"That it does," Lorelai said. "But you need one. I'd like something to announce my presence, thank you very much," she said primly. "Lord knows how long we would have waited for breakfast this morning if I didn't find you myself."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I was behind the counter, not across town.

"Well then you should hire more help, Duke," Lorelai suggested again.

Luke shook his head. "Nope, waste of money," he refused.

"Not if more help gives you time to serve more customers, then it'd probably be even. And you wouldn't have to work so hard," Rory added.

Lorelai turned to grin at Luke. "Yeah, what the short one said."

"I'm not hiring more help," the man said firmly.

Lorelai shrugged, not fazed by that. "Well you already agreed to the bell, and no take back-sie's," she warned.

"Did you say that this morning?"Rory asked

"Say what?"

"That there are no take back-sie's."

"No, she didn't," Luke offered before Lorelai could answer.

"Mom, it's too late now. You should've said it this morning," Rory said sadly.

"Rats," Lorelai grumbled. But then her eyes brightened when she realized. "Are you fond of musicals, Luke?"

"No," the man scoffed.

"I'm betting you'd like the Sound of Music," she said, ignoring his answer. "I can sing a song or two, so you can get a taste of it."

Luke sighed. "You're just gonna annoy me until I say yes, aren't you?"

"Yup," she agreed. Rory laughed.

"Fine," he gave in.

"Wise man," she complimented. "And look, the hardware store. I'm betting they have bells here," she said while stopping in front of the window.

Rory frowned as she looked up at Luke. "Do they have gum in there?" she asked.

"No," Luke said.

Rory's face fell further. "Not even at the counter, with like magazines and stuff?"

"Oh, we need the new _People_!" Lorelai realized

"And milk because _someone_ finished it all in their coffee this morning," Rory grumped as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Coffee?" Luke questioned. "But _I_ gave you coffee this morning."

"Ah, that was like, what? Cup number three?" Lorelai questioned while looking down at Rory

"Yeah," the young girl nodded in agreement.

"Are you crazy having that much coffee?" Luke scolded. "Do you know what that stuff does to your nervous system? No wonder you're always so damn hyper," he muttered. Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him.

"Come on, hurry up, I want ice cream," Rory said while tugging on her mom's arm.

"We're out of ice cream too?" Lorelai asked with a frown.

Rory shrugged. "We finished the rocky road and the cookies n cream last night. Oh, and the vanilla, but there was only a little left."

"Jeez," Luke mumbled.

Lorelai turned to glare at him. "We pride ourselves in being champion eaters, deal with it."

Luke held his hands up in surrender. Rory laughed.

"If it makes you feel any better, I made her eat salad with dinner last night," Rory said with a shrug.

"Yeah, she's been miss veggie pusher lately," Lorelai said with disgust. "That damn school of yours is backfiring on me."

"Well we don't really exercise, so we need to have some healthy food at least," Rory said logically.

"What are you talking about? We walk to your school every morning. And walk home," she added.

"Oh yeah!" Rory exclaimed with realization.

"It's four blocks," Luke grumbled.

"Hush you," Lorelai said. "Now come on, Duke, bells wait for no man!" she said while grabbing his arm and turning to the door. "And don't even think about trying to make a run for it, cause I'm not letting go till you get a bell," she warned while tightening her fingers around his arm.

Luke sighed, and the girls giggled their way inside. Luke couldn't help but crack a smile at their eagerness.

The trio went around the store, not taking much time at all. Though the girls didn't know much of anything in the place, Luke was pretty familiar with it, and was able to pin point the aisle right away. When they arrived at the selection of bells, the girls went right into arguing over which one would be best. Luke listened for no more than a minute before he stepped in and just grabbed the first one his hand touched. He turned around before they could say a word and they sulked their way after him.

"Yours was too loud," Rory argued as they left the store.

Lorelai shook her head. "Bells are supposed to be loud," she countered.

"Not that loud," Rory persisted.

"If you two don't stop, I'm returning the damn thing," Luke threatened.

"Fine, Duke, we'll stop," Lorelai gave in. "The red vines are calling anyway," she said with a shrug. "So we'll see you tomorrow, for breakfast?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Luke stammered, wondering why they weren't coming in later for dinner. For the past couple of weeks, they had been coming almost every night. "Tomorrow."

"You better have that bell up before we arrive," Lorelai warned.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I will."

Lorelai smiled and said, "Good." She took her daughter's hand, and then turned the other way. "Bye, Duke," she said.

"Bye, Lorelai," Luke called. "Bye, Rory," he said to the young girl.

"Bye!"

Lorelai gave him a little wave before turning around and swinging her arm that was joined with her daughter's, back and forth in the air as they went.

Luke couldn't take his eyes off her if he tried.

When the girls got home, Rory hurried up the stairs to shower while Lorelai dumped the groceries on the table and then started to sift through the mail.

"Bill, bill, bill," she listed before sighing at the envelopes. And then she came across a postcard and knew, before even glancing at the words, who it was from. "Happy birthday, Rory. Sorry I'm late, kid. Love you," Lorelai read. She flipped the paper over, and as she already guessed, the name Christopher Hayden was right there.

Lorelai couldn't even form a word, much less a thought. She just tossed the paper aside, shaking her head in disappointment as she left the kitchen. The guy couldn't even remember his daughter's birthday, and that just disgusted her. Almost every year he got it wrong. That is, when he bothered to write, or call at all.

To be Continued…

**Please Review!**


	8. When in Doubt, Pout

A/N- Even though I have pages of notes I should be studying, and chapters from textbooks that I should be reading, I just couldn't stay away. Now don't go lighting any sparklers or anything, this isn't much, just a little something for the mid-week. More of a build up for the next chapter, but there are some key moments here, so read on, kids! And please review on your way out! Thank you!

Oh, and when you're done reading, please check out my new one-shot, _Oh, my my my. _: ).

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Eight: When in doubt, Pout.**

_Independence Inn_

"Is Rory excited for tomorrow?" Sookie asked while washing some mushrooms for the salad.

Lorelai nodded while swallowing the coffee in her mouth. "She can't wait to have some of this," she said while tapping her mug. "She's thrilled that she'll actually be able to drink the _whole _thing." Lorelai grinned. "But she doesn't know that it's going to be decaf, so shhhh."

Sookie gasped. "Lying to your kid on her birthday?!"

"It's for her own good," Lorelai said with a shrug. "I care too much about her to start stunting her growth at such a young, tender age," she said while pressing her hand to her heart. "And what she doesn't know, won't hurt her," the Gilmore reasoned.

"Yeah," Sookie agreed with a nod. "Oh, so I found that disco ball. Are you sure that's what she wanted?" she chef asked, confused.

"Yeah," Lorelai confirmed with a nod as her face fell. "But she won't tell me why," the Gilmore grumped. "But I think it has something to do with Lane and her closet, so I'm staying out of this one," she said while holding her hands up.

"Ah, mom code," Sookie said knowingly.

Lorelai sighed. "Yup."

"Lorelai, let's go! Mia wants me to show you how to use a program on the computer!"

"Coming!" Lorelai assured the woman before gulping down the rest of her coffee while sliding from the stool "Another lesson with Ellen, the witch. Great."

Sookie giggled.

_Later_

_Town Square_

"So you think she'll invite him to the party?" Babette asked curiously as the three women hovered near the newsstand.

"Seems like they're getting close," Mrs. Cassini said with an encouraging nod.

"You guys talking about Luke and Lorelai?" Bootsy asked while peaking up from his magazine.

"Yeah," Patty confirmed.

"You know anything?" Babette asked the man.

He nodded. "Luke will be by her house tomorrow to fix something."

Mrs. Cassini's eyes went wide. "That's the third time this month," she said in a scandalized voice. "What's this time for?"

"Something in her living room," Babette said thoughtfully, trying to remember.

"I think Rory broke a lamp while twirling around the living room," Patty said with pride at her ballet student.

Babette nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that's it," she said eagerly

"What was it last time?" Mrs. Cassini asked.

"The bed," Boosty said with a shrug.

Babette's eyes widened. "Whose bed?"

Bootsy shrugged. "I don't know."

Patty shook her head while taking a drag of her cigarette. "Honey, if you're going to gossip, do it right."

"I think it was Rory," the man offered.

Babette frowned. "Oh," she said sadly.

"Too bad," Mrs. Cassini agreed with a shrug.

"So you hear what happened to Kirk last night?" Babette started.

"No. What?" Patty asked.

"Well he was sleeping out on the gazebo 'cause you know, he had a fight with his mother again, and the Gellman's dog…"

_Later_

_Stars Hollow High_

Lorelai tipped her coffee cup back, taking the last sip before dumping Luke's to-go cup in the trash, and then heading up the few stairs to the high school. It was just a minute to three, and her daughter would come running out at any moment.

While waiting, Lorelai went through her mental check list for Rory's birthday. The bean bag chair, some clothes, and a few books, had all been purchased, and were wrapped up and ready to roll. Lorelai wished though, that she could get her baby more, but right now there just wasn't money to splurge. Things were a little tight; always have been. Though Lorelai knew, first hand, that things could be worse. Much worse.

The plans were all set and ready to go. Tomorrow, the girl would have her friends over for the night. Sunday, most of the town would come to the crap shack for a sort of family gathering. And Rory wasn't the only one excited. Lorelai liked the idea of hosting a party at her home. Every other year it's been the Inn since the shed was obviously to small to have that sort of company over… or any really.

"Mom!" Rory shouted, jarring the woman from her thoughts, but her face brightened.

"Hey, babe," Lorelai greeted with her arms held open.

Rory hurried to her mother to wrap her arms around Lorelai's back while tipping her chin up and holding a paper high in the air. "Look!"

"Oh, let me see," Lorelai said with a growing smile while taking the paper and unfolding it. "Oh, an A; why I'm shocked," she teased.

Rory's brows furrowed as a pout formed on her lips. "I like to show you my grades."

"I know you do, and this is great!. Fabulous! Wonderful! Amazing!" Lorelai cheered with a grin. "It's going up on the fridge, baby," she said while wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulder, and leading the girl down the stairs.

"So where's Lane?"

"She's trying out for the junior band."

Lorelai frowned. "She is?"

Rory shrugged and said, "Her mom's making her."

Lorelai nodded. "So we have dinner with your grandparent's tonight."

"Oh, yeah," Rory said in realization. "We're going to miss the town meeting," she said with a frown. "Why'd Taylor move it to today?"

"I don't know, sweets," Lorelai answered. "But either way your friends are coming tomorrow, and we would have missed it."

Rory nodded.

And by unspoken agreement, the Gilmores headed to Luke's, just like they did almost every day after school to grab a snack.

"Long time, no see!" Lorelai boomed with a smile while walking into the nearly empty diner.

"Back again, huh?" Luke asked through a sigh while wiping down the counter.

"Aren't I always?" Lorelai said with a cheeky grin while sliding onto a stool at the counter with Rory doing the same next to her.

"So I'm guessing you finished your coffee already," he assumed while turning to the machine.

"You guess right," Lorelai confirmed.

"Can't even make the damn thing last for five minutes," he grumped while pouring some into a mug.

"Yes, well, your coffee is just _that_ good that I can't bear to take my time," Lorelai said in a dramatic, breathy voice.

"Well, start or I'm switching you to decaf," Luke warned while sliding the cup to her.

Lorelai gasped and said, "You wouldn't?!"

Luke grinned as he leaned closer to her. "I would," he whispered darkly. Lorelai's lips curled to a smile as their eyes met, and Luke couldn't stop his lips from turning if he tried. Their gazes stayed locked, like the two were stuck in some sort of trance- that is, until Luke realized, and he awkwardly turned away. "So, uh, two doughnuts?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lorelai said with a nod while looking down at her coffee mug.

Rory frowned. This was the fourth time that that's happened. At least, that she's seen. And though she was used to her mom's flirting, it was never like this. Rory always knew when her mother was doing it to get a cheap price at a garage sale or get helped first at the deli, but this wasn't like that. The pre-teen was starting to think that Luke liked her mom, and maybe she liked him back. And Rory wasn't comfortable with that. At first, she thought her mom didn't realize she was doing it, but even so, Rory was becoming more and more aware of it every time she was with the two adults. She didn't want them to date. She's never even met one of her mom's dates, and she feared for their break up because that would be it. No more Luke's. And no more Luke either. The man was starting to grow on her.

And then her mind went to her dad. Though with each passing year, so went a little bit of hope, the young Gilmore still believed that her dad would come and marry her mom, and they would be a family. A real family. She was one of the few kids at school with just one parent in her life, and that bothered her just a little bit sometimes.

"Here's your deep fried fat with a side of sugar," Luke grumped while giving them their sprinkled doughnuts.

"You ever think about going into advertising, 'cause I think you've got some hidden talent there, mister," Lorelai said sarcastically.

"Yeah, that's my back up plan."

"Well, pray this place doesn't go under, and you won't have to resort to plan B," Lorelai said before taking a bite.

"I'll get right on that," Luke said before turning to the kitchen.

Rory sighed before looking down at her doughnut and biting a chunk off.

After the girls ate, Lorelai reached into her purse to grab her wallet.

"So how come you never go to town meetings, Duke?" Lorelai asked curiously while pulling out some money.

Luke sighed. "Must you call me that?"

"I must," Lorelai said with a solemn nod.

"Those things are a waste of time. It's just Taylor gripping about whatever stupid problem he needs help with. No thanks," Luke said while organizing receipts

Lorelai frowned. "So you're not going tonight?"

"Tonight?" Luke asked, confused. "I thought the meeting was tomorrow."

"No, Duke, it got moved to tonight. Keep up."

"Mom, we're going to be late," Rory reminded Lorelai. The girls had to go home and change to be ready to catch the bus for dinner in Hartford.

"Late for what?" Luke asked curiously.

"Oh, dinner with my parents, " Lorelai explained with a careless wave. "And see, there lies our problem. We can't make the meeting tonight, and Sookie's pulling over time at the Inn so I thought if a certain handsome diner owner was going, he could fill us in on what we missed," Lorelai said with bright eyes and a big smile.

"_And the flirting again," _Rory thought with an inaudible sigh.

"I'm not going," Luke said firmly.

"Come on, please," Lorelai begged. "You don't even have to stay for the whole thing; just go when it first starts to get the headlines. And you know, since practically everyone will be at Patty's later, you probably won't have much business anyway. Caser can handle the place while you run over there. Pretty please?" she asked while widening her blue eyes and pulling out her bottom lip.

Luke sighed while bracing his hands on the counter. "Fine," he gave in, finding himself unable to resist her pleading eyes and pouting lips. "But five minutes. That's it," he said firmly.

"Thank you!" Lorelai exclaimed with a smile. "See you tomorrow, Luke," she slipped before turning to leave.

The man shook his head with a soft smile playing on his lips as he watched her go.

_To be continued…_

**Please Review!**


	9. So Friends?

**Important A/N- (Go back to first chapter to view the note)**

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Nine: So… Friends?**

_Later That Night_

"Mom?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Do we have to go to grandma and grandpas tonight?"

Lorelai sighed while easing a brush through her daughter's long, brown hair. "Well we don't _have_ to, but they want to see you for your birthday. Don't you want to see them?"

Rory shrugged while watching through the mirror. "I guess. But I don't really miss them. Like when we go there for holiday's and stuff, I don't ever look forward to it or wish I was there more. Is that wrong?" the girl asked with a frown.

Lorelai shook her head. "It's okay not to miss them, sweets, you don't really know them. And they don't really know you," she added. "It's kind of hard to miss someone you don't really know, so don't feel bad about it."

"But they're my grandparents," Rory argued. "Shouldn't I want to see them? Want to get to know them better?" she asked while turning to look at her mom.

Lorelai put the brush down then scooted her daughter from her lap and onto the bed beside her.

"Honey, I know we're not a typical American family here, and we don't really live our lives like one, but trust me, that's okay," she said with a smile. "I know you love your grandparents." Rory nodded. "And they love you. They're just not a big part of our lives right now. Maybe one day, that will change, but that's just the way it is. I know you're a little young to really understand what happened, but you know I left with you when you were a baby and there are still some hard feelings there, and they'll probably be there forever. So I don't go there a lot. And to be honest, I wouldn't at all if it weren't for you. I go there a few times a year for the important things so you can see them. So we can be a family for a day. Even your dad shows up sometimes, and I know you like that." Again, Rory nodded. Lorelai sighed as her eyes strayed away from her daughter's. "I know it's hard, sweets, not having your dad around, and not being a normal family, but we're good, aren't we? We have fun; you have everything you need, right? And you know I love you more anything in the world. You _are_ my world," she corrected. "It's you and me against them all," she said with a smile.

"I love you, too," Rory returned with a smile while leaning over to hug her mom.

"Yeah, I had a feeling," Lorelai said with a grin while brushing her fingers through her daughter's hair. "And if you really don't want to go, we don't have to. This is for you, and if you're not happy with the arrangement, we can stop going there altogether. I won't try and force something between you and them," she said with a glimmer of hope that Rory wouldn't want to go, while at the same time, praying that she would.

Rory thought about it for a moment, mentally weighing the pros and cons before coming up with a decision.

"I bet they have presents for me," she said with a big smile.

Lorelai laughed. "I'll bet they do."

_Later_

_Gilmore Mansion_

"Mom, ring the bell," Rory said for the twentieth time.

"No, not yet, we're early.

"But its cold and I want to go inside. It's always warm in their house," she said with a thoughtful frown.

"Maybe where you're standing," Lorelai grumbled.

"Mom," Rory groaned.

"Fine, ringing," Lorelai said while reaching to press the tiny metal button. "Brace yourself," she warned while taking Rory's hand and giving it a squeeze.

And just when both girls looked back to the door, it swung open.

"Hello. May I help you?" a maid asked politely, and Lorelai could see the hint of fear in her eyes.

"Yes, we're here for a birthday dinner," Lorelai said with a proud smile while looking down at her daughter.

"Oh, yes, come in." The young woman nodded while moving aside to open the door further. Lorelai gave a thank you nod before leading the way.

"May I take your coats?"

"Oh, yeah," Lorelai said with realization while quickly shrugging hers off and nudging her chin at Rory for the girl to do the same.

The maid accepted the jackets with a smile while looking towards the other room. "Your parents are in the living room," she explained.

"Thank you."

The maid nodded before turning to hang them up while mother and daughter headed for the next room.

"Hey, dad," Lorelai said quietly at her father who was sitting on the couch, reading the paper.

At the voice, Richard lowered the newspaper, looked up and said, "Hello, Lorelai," with a smile. "Happy Birthday, Rory."

"Thank you, grandpa," the girl said with a smile. Lorelai squeezed her daughter's shoulder.

"So, where's mom?"

"Checking on dinner," Richard said while standing up. "Can I get you a drink?"

Lorelai nodded. "Martini, please."

The man nodded. "Rory, would you like a soda?"

"Yes, please."

Richard headed for the drink cart and quickly poured the two glasses. As he finished filling a glass to the brim with coke, Emily came from the kitchen.

"Dinner will be a few minutes," she announced. "Hello, Lorelai. Hello, Rory. Happy Birthday," she said with a smile at her granddaughter.

"Thank you, grandma," Rory said with a nod and smile.

"I see you both have drinks," she noted before turning to her husband. "You couldn't pour me a glass?" she asked with a prim smile.

"I'm sorry, dear," Richard said while standing up. "Your usual?" he assumed. Emily nodded.

"So tell me, Rory, how is school?" the older woman asked while sitting down on the chair across from the girl, who was on the couch with her mother.

"Oh, school is good," she said with a nod after hurrying to swallow the sip of soda in her mouth.

"How are your grades?"

"Her grades are perfect," Lorelai answered quickly.

"Well, not perfect, but they're good," Rory said proudly. "I got an A on my last history test," she reported. "Mom put it on the fridge," she gloated while turning to smile at Lorelai. The girl's mom nodded in agreement.

"Here you go, Emily," Richard said while holding his wife's drink in the air.

"Thank you," she said while accepting the glass.

"Mrs. Gilmore, dinner is ready," the maid called from the doorway.

"Thank you, Leslie. Well come on, before everything gets cold," she said while standing up.

"And we're off," Lorelai muttered under her breath.

_Meanwhile_

_Stars Hollow_

_Miss Patty's_

"People, please, the sooner we start this meeting, the sooner you can all get home to your loved ones," Taylor begged from the podium.

"Can you all pipe down so we can get on with this damn thing," Luke grumped from the last row.

"Luke?" Taylor questioned with narrowed eyes as he searched for the man. "Is that you?"

"Jeez," he mumbled. "Yes, Taylor, it's me," he said with a roll of the eyes while leaning his elbows on either of his spread out knees.

"What the hell are you doing here, sugah?" Babette asked while turning from the front row to look at him.

"It's a town meeting. I'm part of the town," he said, as if it were obvious.

"You never come to town meetings," Gypsy chimed in. "You never come to anything."

"Yeah, you insist on hiding that hot body of yours behind the counter," Patty said with a frown. "You never come out to play."

"Look, can you just get on with this, Taylor. I have a diner to run," he said while jerking his thumb behind him.

"Fine, fine, keep your pants on," Taylor surrendered. "Now our first order of business is about the park. I've heard some grumblings that children are going down the slide too fast. Anna's poor little boy shot right down the slide and his face landed straight in the sand because he thought it would be fun to go down head first. Isn't that right, Anna?"

"Yes," the mom said with a firm nod from where she sat in the front row.

Taylor smiled. "I propose that some work be done to this terror slide so children will ease down instead of shooting out like they're baseballs coming out of those batting machines."

"Jeez," Luke grumbled while hanging his head and bracing his hands on his ball cap. "King of the mental cases," he muttered.

_Hartford_

_Gilmore Mansion_

"Give me your plate, babe," Lorelai said. Rory nodded and reached to put her empty plate in her mother's hand. "Everything?" the older Gilmore asked.

"No green beans," she said with a wrinkle of her nose before she realized. "Actually, just two."

Lorelai grinned. "You and your health food kick," she said with a sad shake of her head. "One day this will ware off and I'll be there to laugh at the insane logic you had going," Lorelai warned while dumping a few on Rory's plate.

"Lorelai, really, you fill your daughter's plate with vegetables, but you won't have any? What kind of example are you setting?" Emily scolded.

Lorelai let out a quiet sigh while reaching to put some green beans on her own plate. "There, happy?" she asked with a tight smile. She wouldn't let this turn into a fight, not while they were supposed to be celebrating Rory's birthday.

"Ecstatic," Emily said with a roll of the eyes.

"Sorry," Rory mouthed to her mom, but Lorelai waved her off while giving her a smile to show that it was no big deal.

Everyone finished making their plates and went on to start eating in a somewhat uncomfortable silence- that is until Emily asked Lorelai the dreaded question.

"So, Lorelai, are you seeing anyone?"

"No," she answered quickly before stabbing her fork at a green bean.

"Well, are you at least trying to find a man? Your daughter isn't getting any younger, Lorelai, and don't you think it would be nice if she had a male figure in her life?"

Lorelai fought to keep her eyes from rolling. "Rory's fine, mom."

"Well, you could call Christopher, you know. I'm sure he'd be willingly to be a part of your life, to be around for Rory's sake. _He_ wanted to marry you, and _he_ wanted to be here. It isn't his fault you said no," Emily pointed out.

Lorelai dropped her fork, the sound causing everyone to look at her. Rory frowned as she looked between her mom and her grandmother.

"Really, mother? Are we _really_ getting into this tonight?" she challenged.

Emily rolled her eyes. "It was a simple suggestion, Lorelai. No reason to have a fit."

"If you think we won't get up and leave, you're wrong, so if you want us to stick around for cake, I think you should keep your suggestions to yourself for the rest of the evening," Lorelai warned.

"Fine," Emily gave in. "Richard, will you pass the chicken plate," she said with a tight smile.

"Of course, dear," the man said with a dull nod.

Lorelai sighed quietly while looking down at her plate.

_Stars Hollow_

_Square_

Luke shook his head, muttering to himself about the crazy woman who all but forced him to go to that insane town meeting.

He ended up spending not five, not ten, not twenty, but over thirty minutes at the damn thing. Taylor was being annoying and refused to sum things up for Luke at the start so he could get the hell out of there. So instead, he ended up staying only to hear about the oh so important slide issue, the formation and dangers of potholes because of the one on peach street, Kirk's unfortunate run in with the Gellman's dog that ended in the man running naked down the street, and the meeting wrapped up with warnings about this upcoming Halloween that was right around the corner. Taylor reminded everyone of the curfew and even had a kid up there to help him act out how a bad scenario could go, should a kid go into a strangers house while trick-or-treating, or eat candy that's been unwrapped first, and etc etc.

It was a waste of time and Luke swore to himself, never again, as he hurried back to his diner.

_Gilmore Mansion_

"Here you go, Rory," Emily said while handing her granddaughter a card. "Happy birthday," she said again, having congratulated the girl earlier in the evening.

"Thank you," Rory said while taking the card and holding it in her lap.

"Well, go ahead, open it," Richard encouraged.

"Oh, yeah," the girl said while quickly digging her finger into the gap to break the seal. And that's when she remembered that her grandparents never buy her gifts; they just stick some money in an envelope and call it a birthday present. Of course, either way, Rory was grateful for the gift, but she couldn't understand why they never bought her anything. To go out and buy something was half the fun, at least that's how she saw it.

And like she anticipated, Rory found a few bills tucked between the card. The plain, boring card with hardly any words written on it. They never bought funny cards, either.

Lorelai peaked over her daughter's shoulder and was able to see that there was at least a hundred dollars stashed in the card. She narrowed her eyes at the bills before looking up at her parents.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to give her that much," Lorelai said.

They hadn't had this discussion in a while. Last year, the Gilmores were away for Rory's birthday and forgot to send a card. And the year before that, the amount had been under eighty. The year off must have made them overly generous.

Emily smiled. "Put it towards updating her wardrobe. The girl should have some new things, I remember seeing that dress on her a number of times before. And you know, Lorelai, it wouldn't kill you to add to your own."

Lorelai took in a quick breath. "Rory, it's getting late, we should go."

"Okay," the girl said with a nod while closing the card

"Thanks for dinner," Lorelai said while standing up.

"Yeah, thank you for my present," Rory added.

"You're welcome," Richard said with a tired smile. It had been a long day of work for the man.

"So we'll see you on Thanksgiving," Lorelai said while taking Rory's hand and leading them towards the foyer.

"Yes, and I've spoken to Christopher, he'll be here for the holiday."

"Great," Lorelai said with a fake smile. "Well, see ya," she said awkwardly before turning to grab their coats.

Once they heard the door close, Richard pushed himself up from the chair. "I have a few calls to make," he said while buttoning his jacket. "I'll be in my study."

Emily sighed.

_Later that Night_

_4:03_

Lorelai crept into the dark room and couldn't help but smile at the site of Rory sound asleep in her bed.

She carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and reached to smooth her daughter's hair away from her face.

"Mom?" Rory's sleep dazed voice asked as she unconsciously rolled towards her.

Lorelai smiled. "Happy birthday, little girl," she whispered before kissing Rory's cheek.

With her eyes closed, Rory reached for her mother's arm as she scooted over to make room on the bed.

Lorelai's smile widened as she scootched under the covers and settled next to her daughter who held her arms around Lorelai's while resting her head on her shoulder.

"Am I twelve yet?" Rory asked while peaking her eyes open.

Lorelai looked over at the alarm clock and saw that it was a 4:05. "And counting," she said with a grin.

"Do you think I'll have boobs by the time I'm thirteen?" the girl asked worriedly.

Lorelai laughed. "I'm pretty sure you will," she assured her.

"When did you get them?" Rory asked before burying her face in her mom's arm.

"Around your age," Lorelai said with a nod. "And soon we'll be at the mall, browsing through the fine assortment of training bras." She grinned.

"I want a pink one," Rory said through a sigh as her eyes fluttered closed.

Lorelai smiled as she reached to run her fingers through her daughter's hair, lulling her back to sleep. "Pink it is."

_Next Morning_

_Knock! Knock!_

"It's open!" Lorelai yelled from the kitchen where she was refilling her coffee mug.

"That was the last time I go to one of those annoying group freak outs!" Luke declared as he walked through the foyer and into the kitchen, his tool box hanging from his hand.

Lorelai smiled. "And a good morning to you, too."

Luke sighed as he put his tools down on the counter. "It was a waste of time," he grumped.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oooooh, a whole five minutes of your time down the drain, poor Duke," she teased.

Luke shook his head. "Try a half hour," he corrected.

Lorelai's brows furrowed as she said, "You stayed for the whole thing?"

Luke nodded. "Damn Taylor didn't give me much of a choice," he said while digging through his tools for some glue. "Where's the lamp?" he asked.

"Over there," Lorelai said while pointing at the counter behind her, near the sink.

Luke nodded and quickly walked the few paces to inspect the damage.

"So what'd I miss?" Lorelai asked a minute later as the man went to work to separate the broken pieces.

Luke shrugged. "Don't let Rory go on the slide at the park, Kirk was running naked down the street in the middle of night, but what's new about that? There's a pothole on peach, and check the halloween candy before Rory eats it," he finished with a sigh.

"Oh, I heard about the slide. Poor Chase," she said with a frown. "But I think Rory's a little too old for the kiddie slide," she said with a grin.

"Taylor's a whack."

Lorelai smiled. "Makes you not want to live anywhere else, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what he does," Luke scoffed.

_Kim's Anitques_

"That's what you have to wear?" Rory said with a wrinkle of her nose.

Lane sighed. "Yeah," she said while picking at the uniform.

"How come your mom wants you to be in the marching band, anyway?"

"She wants me to keep busy because idle hands are the devil's play things," Lane said with shrug. "Well, that what's mama said."

Rory nodded. "The church too, probably, but I don't really go to church so I don't know," Rory shrugged. "Hey, maybe that's why your mom doesn't like me," she said thoughtfully.

"Mama Kim likes you," Lane denied quickly. "It's just your mom," she said with a wince. "I don't know, I think your mom's cool."

"She is cool," Rory said with a smile.

"And she buys the best candy," Lane said with a grin. Rory nodded.

"So I think the radios at the video store were twenty dollars. They're small, but you can play CD's in em," Rory said with a frown. "And, um, after I get my birthday presents, we can see what's left."

Lane nodded. "Oh, and we need to figure out somewhere else to hide my CD's. I have too many and they can't all fit under the mattress without making it look weird," she said with a frown.

Rory looked around, her face concentrated as she tried to figure out an alternate hiding place. The dresser was out since Mrs. Kim did the laundry and would sometimes put Lane's clothes away. The book shelf wasn't good either because her friend's mom always restacked or took books from there to read. There was nowhere on the desk to hid them because there weren't any draws.

Rory sighed as she looked back at Lane. "Don't worry, we'll find a place."

_Crap Shack_

"So, how's it coming, Sparky?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Almost done," he assured here while gluing another piece to the lamp.

Lorelai nodded while going to the fridge. "More water?" she asked.

"Yeah," Luke said while gently pressing the final piece between the others. "So how'd this break, anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, Rory's arm hit it while she was dancing."

"Dancing?" Luke questioned while looking at her. "Rory dances?"

"Yeah, for Miss Patty's class, but she isn't very good," the Gilmore said with a wince. "But even so, my little Miss perfect work ethic is determined to improve. There's no stopping her, and of course a casualty is bound to happen every now and then," she said while gesturing to the poor, broken lamp.

"Oh." Luke nodded. "Does she play any sports or anything?"

"Please," Lorelai scoffed. "Like I'm going to be one of those soccer moms, driving a giant minivan around."

Luke grinned. "I'll take that as a no."

Lorelai smiled. "Just the dancing and I'm not sure how much longer that'll last for. But I've been thinking about signing her up for swimming lessons. I took them when I was a kid, and I don't know, I think it's important. One of the few good things my parents did for me when I was younger, but all their reasons were purely selfish, so I'm not sure if that counts," she said with a small laugh. "You know, they just had to make sure I was well rounded and the best and everything so I could get a suitable Yale man, but I think it's good to know eitherway. Lesson's are just so expensive," she said with a cringe. "May have to wait a while longer."

"I could teach her if you want," Luke offered with a shrug.

Lorelai's brows furrowed. "You could?"

Luke nodded. "Dad taught me how when I was younger. He tried to just throw me in the lake, but my mom stopped him," he said with a grin. "High school used to have a swim team, I was on it. We'd practice at the Y. My dad would take me there sometimes too, when I was a kid."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "The Y, in Hartford?" Luke nodded. "That's where I took lessons!" she said while jabbing her finger to her chest.

Luke grinned. "Figured."

"We could have been there at the exact same time. We could have passed each other in the pool!" Lorelai exclaimed.

Luke laughed. "Maybe."

"Wow," she awed. "Isn't that something?"

"Yeah," Luke agreed, "it is."

The phone then rang and while Lorelai went to answer it, Luke checked on the lamp to make sure everything was in correctly.

A minute later, Lorelai came back in explaining that it was Rory, begging her mom to take her and Lane to Weston's for some cookies while Mrs. Kim was busy hosting bible study. Lucky for Lane, she was still too young to be a part of it. She had to go to the church, on Sunday's, with other kids for the class.

"Will you stop trying to give me money," Luke complained as she held some bills out.

"Luke," Lorelai whined. "This is how these things you go. You performed a service and I'm paying for that service and wow," she realized with a frown, "I feel like you're a hooker and I'm paying you for a job well done. Talk about your role reversals."

"Jeez," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai sighed. "Just please, take the money."

"Nope," Luke refused. He got stuck last time, and wasn't able to sneak it back because she walked with him back to the diner. He wouldn't take her money again.

"Luke, come on."

"I was doing a friend a favor, you don't get paid for that," he refused while heading to the door.

Lorelai stopped. "A friend?" she questioned, like the word was completely foreign to her.

"Yeah," Luke said with a shrug while stopping in the foyer to put his jacket on.

Lorelai watched him push his arms through the sleeves of his green army jacket, then reach to zip it up. "I got to get back to the diner," he said once he was finished.

"We're friends?" Lorelai questioned abruptly.

Luke shrugged. "I guess… aren't we?"

Lorelai's looked up at him. "Yeah, I guess we are," she murmured thoughtfully.

Luke nodded. "And friends don't pay friends for favors, so keep it or no coffee," he warned.

"Okay, okay," Lorelai surrendered while throwing her hands up.

Luke nodded. He picked up his tool box and then turned to the door, but stopped before his hand could reach the knob when he remembered. "I forgot, I got something in the car for Rory."

"For Rory?" Lorelai questioned.

The man nodded. "Isn't today her birthday?"

"Oh yeah, it is," she nodded quickly.

"I heard her talking about this book she wanted," Luke explained while opening the door, then heading down the steps.

Lorelai followed him to his truck with curiosity in her eyes.

Luke opened the driver's door and reached across the bench to pick up a wrapped present. "It's something by some old dead guy, I forget the title," Luke said with a shrug while holding it out. "But I heard her talking about it the other day and I bought it before I realized that you or someone else may have gotten it for her. I guess I should have asked you first, but just let me know if someone did and I'll take it back and get her something else."

Lorelai's face fell. "Oh, Luke, you didn't have to get her anything," she said while taking it from him.

Luke shrugged. "It's her birthday. You get a gift on your birthday," he reasoned.

Lorelai smiled. "Does that rule apply to me, too? Cause my birthday's April 25th, and the more the merrier," she said with a brilliant smile.

Luke cracked a laugh. "Yeah, you too," he said, his voice coming out softer than he expected.

And then it happened. That moment. Their eyes drifted like two magnets being pulled towards each other. Unconscious smiles spread across their faces and just when someone could make a next move, a booming, scratchy voice broke the daze.

"Hey, Dollfaces!" Babette yelled from her yard.

Lorelai turned. "Hey, Babette," she greeted her neighbor with a little wave.

"How's the lamp?!"

"All better now!"

"What'd I tell ya, huh?! Good with a hammer!" she shouted while gesturing to Luke.

"Jeez," the man grumbled.

"Alright, I got to go; we're taking cinnamon for a walk! I'll see you kids later!" she said before turning back to go inside.

Lorelai sighed as she turned back to Luke. "Here," she said while holding the gift out.

Luke's brows furrowed. "What are you doing?"

"Giving this back to you," she said. "You can give it to her yourself. I'm having a little party here tomorrow and you should come," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Oh, no, that's okay. I'm not big into parties," he refused.

Lorelai's face fell. "This gift would mean so much more to Rory if _you_ gave it to her yourself. And I know she'd want you to come," Lorelai added. "And you don't have to stay for the whole thing. Just stop by for a while."

"That's what you said last time," Luke grumped.

Loreali grinned. "Yeah, well, this time I mean it."

"Fine," Luke gave in while taking the gift back. "What time?"

"Seven, don't be late," she warned.

"Okay," the man said while turning to hop in his truck. "See you two later?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Rory's having her friends over tonight."

"Oh," he said while quickly trying to hide his disappointment. "Well, then tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow. Bye, Luke," she said while stepping away from the truck, then waving as he pulled out of the drive.

_Later_

_Inn_

After picking up the girls and taking them for some lunch and cookies, Lorelai dropped the two back at Lane's, then headed into work to put some hours in for a half day.

"I don't know how I feel about this," Lorelai said with a frown while drying off the vegetables that Sookie had rinsed in water.

"He bought her a birthday present, it's sweet," Sookie gushed.

"Exactly," Lorelai said.

"What?"

Lorelai sighed. "I've only known this guy for what, a month? Maybe a little more? And yeah, I'm at the diner just about every day, at least once a day and Rory is usually with me, but it's not like we're old buddies. And he's a _man,_" Lorelai stressed.

Sookie's brows furrowed. "I don't get it."

"The only guy who has ever gotten Rory a gift was Dylan, and you remember Dylan."

Sookie's nose wrinkled. "He turned out to be a jerk."

"Yeah," Lorelai said through a sigh while looking down at the tomatoes."He was trying to buy my kid off to get to me and that's just lousy. I mean he didn't even meet her and he got her a cheap teddy bear and no later do I find out that the guy's an ass."

"Yes, it is lousy," Sookie agreed. "But that's not Luke," she said. "You forget, I know Luke. I went to high school with him. Trust me; he isn't trying to buy his way to you or anything like that."

"Yeah," Lorelai said while wiping the vegetables with a paper towel. "Yeah, I know," she said with more confidence. "I mean it's not even like that between us. We're just friends," she said, remembering the conversation she had with the man earlier. "I know he's not trying to get me or anything," Lorelai waved off.

"Well," Sookie started.

"Lorelai! Breaks over! Get out here!" Ellen yelled.

Lorelai sighed. "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go," she sang while turning to leave the kitchen.

Sookie sighed. "I think he is trying to get you," she murmured, being only one of the many who suspected that Luke had a thing for Lorelai. The whole town was secretly buzzing about it.

_Later_

_Crap Shack_

The sleep over was a hit, just like every other year. Lorelai had a gift for throwing damn good parties.

The night started off with a walk to the beauty supply store, then a stop at Weston's for some treats before heading back to the house to do makeovers. Then she whipped out some movies and gave everyone some sticks and marshmallows to take turns roasting them by the fireplace. After that, some scary stories were told, a round of light-as-a-feather-stiff-as-a-board, and the night ended with a game of truth or dare.

"Night, girls," Lorelai called as she headed down the hall, to Rory's room.

"Night!" A chorus of giggles yelled.

Lorelai smiled as she went to sleep in her daughter's room. With all the young girls in the house, she didn't want to leave them alone and sleep upstairs. She'd definitely hear it from some parent's in the morning, if she did.

_Next Night_

Luke hopped up the porch steps with a wrapped present tucked under his arm. He could hear all the noise before he even got out of his truck. From what he could tell, the party seemed to be in full swing, and it wasn't even five after seven yet.

He knocked on the door, but no one answered. Then he tried the door bell, but he found that no sound came from it. He sighed after realizing that it was broken. Had he known that, he would have fixed it yesterday.

"Lorelai," he called tentatively while peaking his head through the door.

"What are you doing here?" Gypsy asked while walking down the hall.

"Party," he said while holding his gift in the air.

"You hate Parties."

Luke sighed. "Where's Lorelai."

"Right here," she sang while coming from the kitchen with a tray in her hand. "You're late," she scolded, and then walked away. Gypsy shrugged while continuing with her journey to the living room.

For a moment, Luke stood there, unsure of what to do. But then he decided that just standing there with this head out the door and his body outside, freezing, to just go in.

He wasn't sure, but for some reason, the house looked different with someone crowding every corner. Like it wasn't her house. Not the same one he's been in a handful of times to fix this and that.

"Hey, Luke," Rory said with a smile from where she sat on the couch, just about to start opening presents. Presents were first.

"Hey, Rory," he greeted the young girl. "Happy birthday," he congratulated her.

"Thanks. Are you hungry or anything? Sookie made food," she said while gesturing towards the kitchen.

"Oh no, I just wanted to give you this," he said while reaching to hand her her present.

Rory's eyes widened. "You got me a gift?" she asked, surprised.

"Isn't that sweet," Patty gushed as she watched the interaction.

"It's just a book," Luke said with a shrug. "You were talking about it the other day and I saw it while I was out," he explained.

Rory smiled. She quickly looked down to unwrap her gift, and her lips widened even further at the site of the classic that she's had her sites on. "Thank you!" she gushed while jumping up from the couch to wrap her arms around Luke's middle.

Lorelai's eyes widened at the scene.

"Oh, uh, you're welcome," Luke said while awkwardly putting one hand on her head and the other on her back. "So I guess I got the right one."

"Yeah, it's perfect," Rory said with a big smile while turning around. "Mom! Look!" She exclaimed while zig-zagging across the living room to get to Lorelai. "Look what Luke got me. Isn't it cool?" she asked while flipping the book over to read the back.

"Yeah," Lorelai said as her eyes strayed to Luke, "very cool," she muttered.

To be continued…

**Please Review!**


	10. Freak Outs,Floor Boards,and Frickin Heat

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Women, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Ten: Freak Outs, Floor Boards, and that Frickin Heat**

_Crapshack_

"Why! Why! Why!"

"Mom, no," Rory scolded. "You're not putting the A.C in for _one_ day," the young Gilmore stressed.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at Joe Cool while bracing her hands on her hips. "I can't even lift the damn thing," she complained.

"Good. Leave it there," Rory said while tugging on her mom's arm.

"But, but… he's just sitting there by himself, all alone in the corner. He wants some love," Lorelai tried to bargain as Rory dragged her from the living room.

"He has to stay there until summer, he knows that," Rory said gently while backing them towards the kitchen.

"But windy,"

"Will be fine without him, come on."

_Luke's_

"Oh my God, its frickin hot!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically as she walked through the diner.

"Coffee?" Luke asked, the words turning into a reflex whenever she would come in.

"Yes, with ice, lots and lots of ice."

"Cold coffee?" Luke questioned.

Lorelai nodded as she made her way to a stool.

Luke turned to look at her and was about to question the order even further when his eyes caught site of her pants- or lack there of. His jaw almost dropped at the denim shorts that were up high above her knees, barely covering any of the skin on her legs.

"So I dropped Rory off at school today," Lorelai started while rummaging through her purse and blindly walking to a stool, "and she tells me that she wants to stay over at Lane's this weekend. So of course, you know, my antenna went up because Rory never wants to stay over there. Mrs. Kim is very strict; she makes a drill sergeant look like a wuss. So anyway, I told you about all those weird things Rory asked for her birthday, right?" She looked up at him while getting comfortable on a stool.

Luke blinked. "What?"

Lorelai's face fell. "You were tuning me out!" she accused with a pointing index finger.

Luke released a breath. He thought he had been caught starring. "Sorry, start over," he apologized.

Lorelai pouted. "You know, sometimes I wonder why you even talk to me."

Luke's brows furrowed. "What? Why?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, you hate my eating habits. You get all grumpy and grouchy whenever I order coffee or talk about movie nights. You seem to hate it whenever I open my mouth… are you sure we're actually friends and I'm not just imagining this?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes," Luke answered quickly.

"But everything about me annoys you," she said as a matter-of-factly.

Luke shrugged. "Just the talking."

"And the eating?"

"It's your life. You want to die at forty, go right ahead," Luke said while sliding a coffee mug her way.

Lorelai smiled. "So from now on whenever I ask for coffee or red meat, you'll…?"

"Call it a dead cow, and push the decaf."

The Gilmore sighed. "Ice," she reminded him.

"In coffee?" Luke questioned.

"No, down my shirt 'cause it's just _that_ hot," Lorelai said with a roll of the eyes.

Luke sighed as he turned to the kitchen, only to come back a minute later with a tray of ice.

"Here, go nuts," he grumped while dropping the tray on the counter.

Lorelai's face brightened. "Can I use as many as I want?" she asked excitedly.

"Go ahead."

With a sparkle in her eye, Lorelai grabbed the ice tray and banged it against the counter top to loosen the cubes. The sound caused a number of customers to look at her.

"Sorry, she's loud, nothing I can do," Luke apologized before turning to the kitchen.

_High school_

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Rory nodded as they walked down the hall to their next class. "I have the book, too," she said while pulling it out from her bag to show Lane.

"But pulling up floor boards probably makes a lot of noise. And we don't even know how to do it," Lane argued with a wince.

"That's why I got the book," Rory pointed out. "And we can just play Amy Grant or something while we do it, that way your mom won't hear. Oh, and I started reading a little and it might not be too hard. I think if there's like space between the board and the floor we can put a, um… wait, hold on," she said while scrambling to open up to the page. "Oh, screw driver, that's it. We can put that between it and kind of pull the wood up," she explained with a shrug. "And we measured last week, so the CD's should fit in there perfectly."

"I hope so," Lane said doubtfully. "But you know, every Friday momma makes wheat balls. You hate wheat balls."

Rory shrugged. "So do you."

"But I have to eat them, you don't."

"You're my best friend; I'll eat wheat balls for you. Plus, after dinner, we can hang out in your closet and mock the Macarena. I tricked mom into buying the CD," she said with a shrug.

"Okay, but we have to play it _really_ low."

_Diner_

"And then there were two," Lorelai said.

The Inn employee had the morning off and didn't have to be in until late afternoon. She had originally thought up using up the time to look for a car, but that all changed when she woke up this morning and found it to be more than eighty degrees outside. It was just one of those weird, hot, autumn days. An Indian summer to boot. Way too hot to be sitting on one of those icky bus seats.

So she had decided to instead, annoy Luke some, tackle the grocery shopping, then head home to shower and change before work.

"Yup," Luke agreed as he wiped down the counter.

Lorelai sighed as she looked around the empty room. She let her eyes trail across the diner, giving it a once over before turning back to Luke.

"So tell me, where does Duke Danes reside?"

"What?"

"You never told me where you live," she realized. "And you know where I live, so now tell me where you live," she said with a smile.

"Up there," Luke said while pointing at the ceiling.

Lorelai's face fell. "I thought Kirk was kidding," she murmured.

"About what?" Luke asked distractedly while grabbing a stack of receipts.

"Kirk said that you live in your dad's old office, but I couldn't picture an office being big enough to live in."

"Big enough for me."

"But it must be what, one room? How do you live in one room?"

Luke shrugged. "Got a kitchen, just had to put a bed up there.

"Bathroom?"

"No, I go in the sink."

Lorelai's nose crinkled. "Ew!"

"Course it has a bathroom, jeez."

"Can I see it?"

"You know what a bathroom looks like, nothing special about mine."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Your apartment, David."

"David?"

"Spade."

"Who the hell is that?"

Lorelai sighed. "You need to watch something other than ESPN."

Luke looked up at her. "Why do you want to see my apartment?"

Lorelai shrugged. "You saw mine, it's only fair," she pointed out.

"It's just a room with a fridge and a bed," he argued.

"I heard mention of a toilet, too."

Luke shook his head. "It's a mess. Maybe tomorrow or something," he said with a shrug while swinging around the counter. "Need anything? I gotta unload some stuff in the back."

Lorelai blinked. "Uh, no, I'm good."

Luke nodded before hurrying off to the store room.

Lorelai brows furrowed as she watched him go.

After sitting alone for no more than five minutes, Lorelai decided to get the food shopping done with. She called a quick good bye to Luke before making her way to Dooses.

There, she went through the aisles quickly, knowing that she didn't have much impulse money so she steered away from the candy and chocolate. She couldn't help but go overboard with the treats.

So after zipping through the store and buying just what was needed, Lorelai headed home to get ready for work. The plan was to shower, change, and then pick up Rory from school before jetting off to the Inn.

After finishing up at the Crap shack, Lorelai followed the next plan on her agenda and was leaving the school with her daughter at her side.

"Well, can I go to the diner? I can sit at the counter and do some homework," Rory questioned.

Lorelai had originally planned to take Rory with her to work because Sookie was on the clock as well, and Lane was at Band rehearsal so she couldn't go to Mrs. Kim's.

"You don't want to come to the Inn?" Lorelai asked, surprised.

"No, I do, but this way I can get my homework done. It's hard in the kitchen with everyone moving around and there's never any place to put my books on the counter and my legs hurt from hanging off the stool and the chairs at the diner are more comfortable," the eleven year old rambled, having seen a prime opportunity to discuss something with the diner owner. "And Ellen never lets me sit at the front desk," Rory complained with a pout. "Are you going to get your own office? When you become assistant manager?" she asked, hopeful.

Lorelai smiled. "I don't think so, sweets, but you know, Lisa loves you and by that time, Ellen will be gone so the desk is all yours, as far as the eye can see!"

Rory laughed. "So is it okay?" she asked. "You know there are always people we know in there, and Luke could look after me. And I'll be quiet, like a really little mouse. Oh, and it's so cool when Luke brings me pie before I even ask for it!" she said excitedly. "And I wonder if he has blueberry today," she said thoughtfully.

Lorelai looked across the street, over at the diner and was able to see through the glass that it wasn't too busy. Not yet, anyway. It was just after school and in an hour or two, the dinner rush would come swarming in, and though this was a small, friendly town, Lorelai still wasn't all too fond of leaving her eleven year old daughter in there alone. Of course, Luke would be there, but he would be working and even though most of the town popped in and out all day, there was the sometimes trucker, or out of Towner who wondered inside.

She realized she may be over thinking it and making too much of the situation, but Lorelai's seen too many horror movies and news reports on missing or kidnapped children, that she couldn't help but worry.

"Mom?" Rory asked, breaking the woman from her thoughts. "Can I?"

Lorelai took her daughter's hand before they stepped off the curb to cross the street. "We'll ask Luke," she said through a sigh.

_Diner_

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked for the tenth time.

Luke sighed. "Yes, I'm sure," he said firmly. "You'll only be gone a few hours and she's sitting right there," he said while jerking his chin in front of him, where Rory was perched on a stool at the counter. "Most of the time I'm standing here anyway, so don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," Luke assured the nervous mom.

Lorelai nodded as she looked down at Rory. "And you're sure you don't want to come to the Inn?"

"I'm sure," Rory said with a nod. "Don't worry, mom, I'll stay right here. And I'll be good," she promised.

"I know you will," Lorelai agreed. "Okay, well, you know the number if you need anything," she said while reaching into her bag to grab her cell. "Here, just call if want me to get you, and I'll take a break and come pick you up," she said while holding the device out.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I have a phone right here," he said while pointing to the one that was mounted on the wall.

"I know, but encase you're talking to a customer or something, this way she doesn't have to wait," Lorelai reasoned with a shrug. "I'm new at this, give me a break," she defended.

Rory's brows furrowed. "But I go to Lane's and Sookie's all the time."

"That's different, babe," Lorelai waved off. "I work with Sookie, and I've known Mrs. Kim forever. That woman doesn't make it possible for you to get into trouble, even if you tried."

"Yeah, that is true," Rory said thoughtfully.

"Okay, well I should go," Lorelai said after glancing at the clock. "I'm only filling in for Tara, so I should be here around eight," she said with a wince. "That okay?" she asked Luke.

The man nodded.

"Good. Well, I'll see ya later, babe," she said before leaning over to kiss her daughter's cheek."

"Bye, mom. Be good."

Lorelai grinned. "You too."

The woman left one last goodbye kiss on her daughter's forehead before turning to leave and after she was out the door, Rory turned to Luke.

"What do you know about floor boards?" she asked.

_The Inn_

"Hey, Sookie," Lorelai called as she walked through the kitchen.

The head salad girl turned to her best friend. "Hey, what are you doing here? Didn't you have today off?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Filling in for Tara, she's on vacation," the woman grumped.

":Ah, so you're being a maid today."

"Yup."

It was that time of year, just a week before thanksgiving and some were getting an early jump on their holiday get-aways.

Lorelai's big holiday get away would be going to her parent's house for Thanksgiving where she would have the joy of being taken down a few notches by her mother, and receive looks of disappointment from her father. Throw in an appearance from Christopher and the day would at least make for an interesting Christmas story, if anything.

"Rory with Lane?"

Lorelai shook her head. "She's with Luke."

The knifed stopped mid air as Sookie's head snapped to Lorelai. "Luke?" she questioned.

Lorelai nodded while grabbing a mug to fill with coffee. "She didn't want to come here with me and since she couldn't go to Lane's, she asked if she could hang at the diner. Luke said he'd keep an eye on her," she said with a shrug.

"Wow, really," Sookie awed.

"We're there all the time anyway, so she'll be fine," Lorelai said with a nod.

"Oh, I know, it's not that, it's just Luke. Never thought he'd babysit someone's kid."

Lorelai shook her head. "He isn't babysitting, Sookie. Rory's twelve years old, she doesn't need a babysitter."

"Then why didn't you let her stay home?"

"She didn't ask to stay home."

"But if she asked to stay home alone while you were at work, you would have said yes?" Sookie challenged with a smile.

Lorelai's brows furrowed. "I guess, but she didn't ask," she repeated.

"Right, right," Sookie said with a nod while turning back to her lettuce.

"Look, I know she's not a baby anymore, okay? So everybody can just stop pointing out the obvious, because I get it. Excuse me for trying to be a good parent and watch out for my kid," she grumped before turning on her heel.

"No, Lorelai,"

"I'm on the clock," she called before leaving the room.

Sookie sighed before turning back to the food.

_Diner_

"Rory, I don't know," Luke said with a wince while reaching to adjust his ball cap.

"Please, Luke?" the young Gilmore begged. "This is important, really important."

"But I can't go behind your mom's back and,"

Rory shook her head. "No, trust me, its okay. She doesn't want to know about this stuff anyway, mom code," the girl explained. "I just need to see someone do it, the book doesn't explain it well," she said with fallen eyes.

Luke sighed as he braced his hands on the counter. "So you want me to take you home later, and pull up one of the floor boards in your room?" he asked, wanting to get the plan straight.

Rory nodded. "One behind the door or something, so mom won't notice."

Luke was quiet for a moment, trying to decide if he should do this. While it was hard to say no to her sad blue eyes that looked so much like her mother's, he didn't want to first, risk the girl getting in trouble, and second take her away from the diner. She was told to stay here and Luke promised to look after her.

Although, he then realized that taking her back to her own house probably wasn't a big deal. As long as he called Lorelai and told her, it should be fine. And Rory was a good kid, at least from what Luke's seen and heard. He knew she wouldn't lie about Lorelai not wanting to know anything about this.

Luke lifted his wrist to get a look at the time. It was just after five. The dinner rush was starting to build. There was no way he could leave now.

"Okay, here's the deal," Luke said while standing up straight. "You sit there, finish your homework, eat some dinner, and later, when things around here die down, I'll take you home and show you. But I'm calling your mom first to let her know we'll be there. Last thing we need is her calling here and finding out you left."

Rory's face brightened. "Yay! Thank you!" she cheered, sounding just like her mother.

"You're welcome," Luke said with a smile. "Now homework," he warned."

"Yes, sir," Rory said with a nod before looking down at her open notebook.

_The Inn_

"Well, thank you, Greg, but I'm not really not looking to date anyone right now," Lorelai said while reluctantly accepting the business card from the man.

"If you change your mind," he said with a winning grin.

Lorelai nodded, giving him a workless smile while tucking the card in her pocket.

"Goodbye, Lorelai," he said before turning to join his group who were on their way out.

The Gilmore released a breath before turning away from the dining room.

Just ten minutes ago, she had finished cleaning the rooms, and had changed back into her normal clothes. She was on her way to the kitchen, to apology to Sookie, when Greg, from the business convention that was wrapping up, had stopped her.

The metro, fancy suit wearing, clean shaven man had used an annoying pick up line and was way too cocky for his own good, but still, there was a little something about him. Lorelai thought he was kind of cute. He had a nice smile and warm brown eyes. The all too expensive suit though, was a bit much, and reminded her all too well of the world she ran away from, but he was nice. A little too sure of himself, but kind of sweet.

Then he mentioned his job, and all the traveling he does. He was bragging about all the places he's been to and the nice pay check he receives like clockwork. Lorelai didn't care for that. Showing off, it wasn't attractive. Not in that way, not gloating about money or things like that. And though his tone was teasing, he said she'd be lucky to share a date with him. He would take her to best restaurant and treat her to the best food. Lorelai managed to smile and asked if he said this to all the girls. He gave her that cocky half smile with a little shrug and told her maybe.

Then someone called his name and he hurried to pull a card from his jacket pocket. He handed it to her, and Lorelai tried to refuse, telling him that she wasn't looking to see anyone now, but he insisted, so Lorelai just took it, hoping the acceptance would hurry the man along.

When he was gone, Lorelai quickly turned to the kitchen. When she got there, Sookie was gathering her things to leave for the night. It was late, already after eight thirty. She wanted to leave to get to Rory so Luke could go home, but not before apologizing to her best friend.

"Hey," she called while walking into the room.

Sookie turned around as she pushed her arms through her coat. "Lorelai, hey, about earlier,"

Lorelai held up her hands to stop the woman. "I'm sorry, Sook," she apologized. "I just freaked out a little. You know, people keep telling me that Rory isn't a little girl anymore, and I should start dating again, and with her birthday, and she's already twelve, and all this talk about Chilton and I just panicked a little. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I understand," Sookie assured her. "Rory's growing up fast," she said softly.

Lorelai smiled while nodding in agreement. "More than half the time, she's acting older than I am," she said with a small laugh. "I just can't believe it sometimes, you know?"

Sookie nodded while giving her friend a sympathetic smile. "So you heading out for the night?"

Lorelai nodded. "You too?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well I'll see ya tomorrow, Sook."

The chef nodded before turning to grab her purse while Lorelai turned to the door, but before reaching it, she remembered something.

"Hey, Sookie?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you know about Luke's apartment?"

_CrapShack_

"We need to find a loose one," Luke said thoughtfully while walking into the preteen's bedroom.

Rory nodded before focusing her eyes to scan the floor. She and Luke went off in different directions and just seconds later she was waving him over.

"What about that one?" she asked, pointing to a board near her window.

Luke squatted down on his knees to inspect the spot. He ran his hands over the wood and found that there was a bit of a gap between two boards.

"Screw driver," he requested while holding his hand out.

Rory nodded and quickly reached into his tool box to dig for the tool he wanted.

"This?" she asked a minute later, holding up what she thought was the right one.

Luke smiled, but shook his head. "That's a Philips," he said while running the pad of his thumb over the end. "See, feel this," he said before removing his hand.

Rory put her thumb on the end, like Luke had his, and took a minute to put the shape to memory.

"Philips," she said with a nod. "So there's more?"

Luke nodded. He then reached into his tool box and pulled out a different one. "This is a flat head," he explained.

Rory looked at the end to see that its name lived up to the description really well. She then slid her finger across the smooth surface to remember the structure.

"So this one's a Philips," she said while holding up the first tool, "and this one's a flat head, right?"

"Right." Luke nodded with a smile.

"And you need this one?" she asked while holding the flat head up.

"Yes."

Rory smiled. "Kay, here.".

Luke laughed at her bright eyes and eager smile. "Thanks," he said while accepting the tool, and then turning back to the floor. "Okay, watch and learn," he said before sticking the flathead between the two boards.

Rory watched intently, her wide blue eyes taking in the instructions as Luke moved the tool around the board.

"You did it!" the young girl cheered a minute later when he lifted the board up.

Luke turned to give her a smile. "Yeah, I did a nice job of ruining your floor," he said with a grin.

"It's so cool!" she awed while peering down into the gap.

Luke shook his head, amused by her fascination while a smile played on his lips, one that he couldn't erase if he wanted to.

"Mommy's home!"

"Oh, no," Rory panicked.

"Quick, get in bed," Luke whispered urgently as he grabbed the screw driver and tossed it in the box while Rory scrambled to her feet and hurried under the covers.

Just as Lorelai was rounding the kitchen, rambling about her day, Luke had managed to stand up, a nervous look on his face as the box hung from his side.

"Hey," Lorelai said with a smile as her brows quirked. "Something broken?" she asked while gesturing to the box.

"Oh, uh, yeah," he panicked while darting his eyes around the room. "The draw, it wasn't closing right," he covered quickly while gesturing to Rory's desk. "It's fixed."

"Oh, thanks," she said with a smile before turning to the bed. "Going to sleep already?" she asked, confused.

Rory nodded exaggeratedly while keeping the covers up as high as she could to hide the clothes she was wearing. She hadn't changed into P.J's yet.

Lorelai laughed at the scene of just her daughter's face peeking out from the blanket.

"Well, I should get going," Luke said, wanting to escape the room before Lorelai could figure anything out.

"Hang on, I'll walk you out."

Luke nodded, stepping out to the kitchen to give mother and daughter some privacy.

Lorelai walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge before leaning over to kiss Rory's cheek.

"So how was it?" she asked.

"How was what?"

Lorelai smiled. "Luke's. Everything go okay? He didn't withhold pie did he?" she asked with a grin.

Rory shook her head. "He let me have two pieces, but he made me finish my dinner first. Oh, and he gave me strawberries, too, then I was allowed to have the pie," she said after thinking back. "But he couldn't really help me with my homework," she said with a wrinkle of her nose. "I asked him about something in my science book, and he said, 'What the heck do you need to know about the inside of a frog for? That's stupid,'" Rory said through her giggles. "He's funny."

Lorelai nodded with a big smile on her face. "Yes, he is," she agreed. "Well, I'm going to go thank him for today and then shower and go to bed. Night, babe."

"Night, mom."

Lorelai reached to smooth her daughter's hair away from her face while pressing a kiss to the girl's forehead, then standing up to head for the door.

"Love you, sweets," she called from the doorway.

"Love you, too."

Lorelai nodded, leaving the door open just a bit before turning to Luke, who was messing with a cabinet door.

"You just can't resist fixing something, can you?" she teased.

"It won't close all the way," he grumped with a determined look on his face as he kept trying to get it to close right.

"Eh, that's okay, makes life fun," Lorelai waved off.

Luke sighed. "I'll come by and fix it tomorrow. I don't have a small enough screw driver with me right now."

"Thank you, but you don't have to do that," she assured him.

"It's easy to fix, should only take me a minute. Something's wrong with the hinges," he said thoughtfully while looking up to re-examine the damage.

Lorelai smiled. "So thanks for keeping an eye on Rory tonight. And taking her home and everything," she added. "She must have had a long day, probably just wanted to go to sleep."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "You know if you can't ever leave her with Sookie or Lane, and she doesn't want to go to the Inn, you can leave her at the diner anytime," he said with a shrug. "She's small and usually is pretty quiet, you know, until she gets going, then she could babble on for a while. Remind you of anyone?" he asked with a grin.

"No one comes to mind," she said with a shrug and a smirk.

"She even helped out a little, refilling things, wiping down the counter…" he trailed. "She's a good kid," he said thoughtfully.

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks, I tried," she said with a grin.

Luke shook his head at her while letting out a short laugh.

"We'll, I'm going to head out," he said while grabbing his tool box and leading the way down the hall.

"We'll see ya tomorrow," she promised while following.

Luke nodded while reaching for the door. "Night, Lorelai," he said with his hand on the knob while turning to look at her.

A soft smile played on her face as she said, "Night, Luke."

_Later_

After pulling the pajama top over her head, Lorelai reached to take her jeans off. She gripped the sides to tug the tight fitting denim down her hips when she felt the card in her pocket. She then pulled it out, sighing as she looked at the number.

For some reason that she couldn't exactly explain, Lorelai was almost tempted to use it. It had been a while since she's been out on a date and she's kind of missed the experience. The butterflies, the nerves, the anticipation. Going out with a man, having him open doors for her, pay for a meal or a movie… the thought was nice. And though she's had some crappy dates that haven't turned into anything, she was determined that one day, she would bring home a guy and he would be the right guy. One day. One guy.

"This isn't the guy," she whispered through a sigh while reading the card again.

But still, even being sure of that, she almost wanted to keep the card. Put it to use tomorrow. Even if just to be able to get all dressed up and have a man try and woo her. He seemed the type to give flowers and candy, and that would just be a bonus.

But then she realized that her mother would probably love the man. Go crazy over him. A successful, wealthy, business man. It would be her parents' dreams come true.

Lorelai shook her head, stopping the mental battle that was going on in her mind. She then wiggled out of her jeans and walked to her bed. Her eyes swept over the card one last time before she reached over to put it on her night stand, deciding that she could figure things out tomorrow. She was tired; it had been a long day.

"Yeah, tomorrow," she whispered before turning her attention away from the card and getting under the covers to go to sleep.

_To be continued…_

**Please Review!!!**


	11. Rumor Has it

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Eleven: Rumor Has it**

"I feel like I should shave your head, get you a dog tag, kiss you goodbye, and pray for your safe return home."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm not joining the army, it's just a sleepover," she said while hiking her backpack up higher.

Lorelai smiled. "And I still think that Mrs. Kim was a drill sergeant in another lifetime-a very religious one, but the threat of God sending you straight to hell probably kept those boys in line," she said with a grin.

Rory laughed. "I don't think women were drill sergeants then… are they now?" she asked with a thoughtful frown.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "I don't know, but maybe Mrs. Kim was a man in her previous lifetime," she suggested.

"And maybe you were a caterpillar."

Lorelai threw up her hands, "Hey, at least I've moved up the ladder," she defended. "Going from a man to a woman probably isn't a fair deal. Trust me, you'll learn that when mother nature starts coming around for a monthly visit," she said with a smile. "Every damn month," she grumped.

"Oh, ew," Rory winced.

"Just telling it like it is," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"Can I go now? Or do you want to gross me out more before I have to go in there and eat wheat balls," she grumbled with a frown.

"You wouldn't have to eat wheat balls if you ate something at Luke's," Lorelai sang.

Rory shook her head. "Mrs. Kim would have made me eat anyway, and this way I'm at least hungry," she said with a shrug.

"Good thinking," Lorelai said with a nod.

"Well, I am the smart one," Rory reasoned with a shrug.

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai said with a roll of the eyes. "Now go, before she makes you have two helpings because you were late," she urged with a teasing smile.

Rory leaned over to kiss her mother's cheek. "Bye, mom, be good. Oh, and don't forget to turn the T.V off when you go to bed for the night," the young girl warned.

"Yes, mom." Lorelai grinned.

Rory stuck her tongue out before turning to hurry inside. "And no candles without me! You almost burned the curtains last time!" she said with a pout.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I almost burn the house down _once_ and two months later you still won't let it go!"

"No candles!"

"Fine!" Lorelai gave in.

Rory's lips turned to a smile before she disappeared inside.

Once her daughter was out of site, Lorelai sighed as she pulled her purse back over her shoulder. She then turned in the direction of the house and headed home to get ready.

It was Friday evening and for the first time in over a year, Lorelai Gilmore was going out on a date tonight.

_Lane's_

"You have ten minutes, and then we eat," Mrs. Kim warned as the two girls hurried up the stairs.

Once they reached the safety of Lane's bedroom, they quickly dashed for the closet to map out their plan.

"Okay," Rory started as she plopped down on the fuzzy rug, while Lane settled down next to her, "I think I know how to do this, but just encase, I have the book," she said while pulling it out from her bag.

"Are you sure?" Lane asked doubtfully.

Rory nodded. "Luke showed me how to do it and it only took a few minutes."

"Who?"

"You know that guy who owns the diner. The one that mom and I see all the time when we go there," she reminded her friend.

"Oh, yeah," Lane said with a nod. "So is your mom dating him?"

"No," Rory said quickly. "They're just friends," she corrected.

"Oh, 'cause I heard Kirk say they were dating.'

Rory's brows furrowed. "When?"

"Yesterday, after band practice. He was talking to Patty and he told her that Babette said that your mom had a date tonight, and I think he said with Luke," the young girl explained while thinking back. "Or at least they thought it was Luke," she said with a shrug.

Rory shook her head. "They must have heard wrong," she denied. "Mom isn't going on a date tonight, she's staying home," she said, her voice a bit firm.

"Okay," Lane said with a shrug. "But wouldn't it be cool if your mom dated Luke? Then you'd get free food all the time!" she said brightly.

Rory shook her head and said, "They'll just break up. And anyway, mom doesn't really date, she hasn't in a while. I think she's waiting for my dad to come back. He travels around a lot, so maybe if he moves here they'll get married and stuff," she said with a shrug.

"Do you think he will?"

"I hope so."

"Well if your mom gets married, maybe mama Kim will like her," Lane said with a shrug. Rory giggled.

_Later_

"Sookie," Lorelai called urgently into the phone.

"Hey, Lorelai!" the woman said brightly. "You getting ready for your date?" she asked excitedly.

The Gilmore sighed as she plopped down on her bed. "I don't know about this, Sook."

The chef frowned. "Oh, come on, Lorelai, it's just _one_ date. One date won't hurt. And it's the perfect night. Rory is at Lane's, you don't have work tomorrow, you don't have to get up early," she hedged with a big grin.

"Sookie, I am telling you right now that there will be no sex, so you can stop picturing me on a table," she warned.

"I'm not picturing you on a table," Sookie defended with a frown. "I don't even know what Greg looks like."

Lorelai laughed. "Think River Phoenix meets Mark-Paul Gosselaar, but with brown eyes, Mark's hair, and River's nose. Oh, and add a few years," she explained.

"River Phoenix?" Sookie questioned. "Didn't he die?"

"Yeah, but he was still cute," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"And who's Mark?

Lorelai's brows quirked. "You've never seen _Saved by the Bell_?"

"Should I?

"Well, there's good eye Candy," she said with a shrug. "Not so good show, but for some odd reason, Rory used to like it."

"So, Mark, good looking then?"

"Very."

"I can picture the River Phoenix, and he's cute," Sookie said with a shrug.

"Okay, well, have you seen _Boy Meets World_?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, picture Ryder's hair, but like a dirty blond, about up to his ears, and sorta that smile, with brown eyes, and River's nose, and that makes Greg," she said with a smile.

"Oh, wow," Sookie awed.

Lorelai's lips turned further. "Yeah, very easy on the eyes."

"But…?"

Lorelai frowned. "What do you mean, but?"

Sookie smiled and said, "There's always a but."

Lorelai's face fell further. "Well, yes, Sookie, butts are part of the human anatomy, no way to avoid 'em."

"He chews too loud, he blinks too much, he walks funny, his teeth are too white, like an alien freak or something," Sookie listed. "What's wrong with this one?"

"Am I really like that?" Lorelai asked. "Do I always find every little thing wrong with people? Am I that vain?"

Sookie's face softened. "You're not vain, Lorelai, you're just particular," she said with a shrug. "You're just trying to find the right guy, there's nothing wrong with that. You shouldn't be with someone who has qualities that annoy you."

Lorelai sighed as she sat down on her bed. "I shouldn't do this, Sookie," she said quietly

"What!? Yes you should!" the chef exclaimed. "You need to get back out there! Get back on the saddle! You haven't had sex in forever!"

Lorelai couldn't help but laugh as she fell back on the mattress, her legs dangling off the edge.

"Does he have a lisp?" Sookie asked. "'Cause that can be annoying."

"No," Lorelai said with a small smile. "He's just... he had a suit on."

"A suit?" the chef questioned "What's wrong with a suit?"

"I'm not into the whole metro thing, you know? I mean don't get me wrong, a monkey suit is hot every now and then, but he's a big business guy and that just reminds me of everything I ran away from," Lorelai explained while picking at the blanket. "He's cute though. A little too pretty boy, but cute," she said with a nod. "He was nice, but a little too forward. Confident, but cocky… see where I'm going with this?"

Sookie grinned. "Catch 22."

"Yeah," Lorelai said before sighing, "But I just miss it, you know? I mean it probably won't turn into anything, and I don't think I want it to, but just going out on a date, I don't know, seems fun," she said with a shrug.

"Yeah," Sookie said in agreement. "So what'd you tell Rory?"

"Oh, well, I didn't tell her anything."

Sookie frowned. "You don't think you should tell her this time? I mean the last date you went on, she was ten, and now she's twelve. Don't you think you should tell her?"

"I did tell her!" Lorelai defended quickly.

"Yeah, after the fact," Sookie said gently. "You waited weeks, and you only said something because the guilt was eating you."

"Well, I hate lying to my kid, Sook."

"I know which is why I think you should tell her."

Lorelai blew out a breath. "Sookie, you know what happened when I told her. She freaked. She ran in her room to call her dad but got an operator's voice saying that the number wasn't in service anymore. She thought it would just be me and her until her dad would come back, and she probably thinks the same thing now. I know she's growing up, but she's still only twelve. She's not lining up any resumes yet, or buying her own clothes, and I don't want to tell her unless there's a real reason too. She's still a kid. So unless this goes anywhere, which I really don't think will happen, I'm just gonna keep it as it is for now. I'm almost positive this is gonna be a onetime thing, Greg and I. So maybe, after all is said and done, I'll tell her. After Greg goes away and it's just me and her again. I mean I have to test her reaction sometime, right?" Lorelai asked, unsure of whether telling her daughter at all would be okay.

"Yeah, you do," Sookie agreed. "But, um… nevermind."

"What?" Lorelai asked curiously.

"Nothing, it's just… well, Chris."

"What about him?"

"Are you waiting for him?" Sookie asked carefully.

"No," she said quickly.

"No?"

Lorelai sighed. "I, uh… I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I don't want to be," she said desperately. "But I don't know, I just can't help thinking every now and then, about what it would be like if we were together, like a family, a real family… I don't know, it's silly," she waved off. "I mean Chris is in a million different directions and he's in no way responsible enough to handle us part time, let alone full time, so I'm not holding my breath, but yeah, sometimes, I guess I think about it," she said with a shrug.

Sookie nodded. "It's not silly, sweetie."

"Yeah, well." Lorelai shrugged. She then took in a breath. "I should go get ready, he'll be here soon."

"Okay, I'll see ya tomorrow. And I want details!" the chef warned.

Lorelai smiled. "See ya tomorrow, Sook."

_Lane's_

"Wow," Lane awed.

Rory nodded with wide blue eyes. "There's a hole in your floor," she said while pointing the screw driver at the gap.

Lane nodded in amazement. "How many more do you think we'll need?" she said with a wince while looking around her room.

"Two or three," Rory said with a shrug. "Let's put some in this one now encase your mom comes up so we can close it," she suggested.

Lane nodded and quickly stood up to lift her mattress and swipe that CD's that were underneath it.

"How should we classify 'em?"

"Genre?" Lane suggested.

" 'Kay."

"Girls, come down for tea!" Mrs. Kim yelled from the base of the stairs.

"Coming!" they yelled in unison

_Restaurant_

And just as Lorelai suspected, her date was nothing to write home about.

"… so it took a couple of years, but I climbed to the top, and now I'm running the place," he said with a proud smile before taking a sip of wine.

"That's great," Lorelai said with a small, tired smile as she worked to keep from falling asleep out of sheer boredom.

Greg nodded while looking down at his watch. "Are you finished? I have an early day tomorrow."

"Yes," Lorelai said a little too quickly while snapping her head up.

"Good," he said while turning to grab their waiter's attention

Lorelai turned to unhook her purse from the back of chair, setting it on her lap so she was all ready to go the very moment their check was paid.

It only took a minute for Greg to track down the woman and when he did, he merely glanced at the check before he stuffed a few bills into the long, black book.

"Thank you," he said to the waiter with a smile.

"Have a nice night," she said before turning away to her next table.

Greg pushed his chair back, buttoning his suit closed as he went to pull Lorelai's chair out.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile while standing up.

"You're welcome," he said politely.

They walked through the restaurant, Lorelai keeping enough distance between them so their bodies couldn't brush up against each other.

"So I had a good time," the man said while accepting his coat from the woman who stored them.

"Yeah, me too," Lorelai said automatically, not wanting to hurt the guy's feelings.

After his date accepted her coat, Greg turned to give the woman a tip before they headed for the parking lot.

"So, tell me something, Lorelai."

"What?"

He shrugged. "You haven't told me much about yourself."

"_Yeah, well, hard to get a word in edge wise when you're babbling about your job all night,"_ she thought but instead said, "what do you want to know?" she asked, not willing to divulge anything unless he asked. Lorelai was positive that this was their first and only date.

"Well, I know you work at the Inn. Something I'm willing to overlook," he teased with a smile.

Lorelai turned to him with furrowed brows. "Overlook?" she asked.

"Yeah, you know, it's not the best job in the world, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right? I mean, not everyone gets the job they wanted after college," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai's eyes narrowed a bit. "Right," she said, playing along.

"So sometimes people get stuck at a crappy job that isn't going anywhere. It happens."

Lorelai stopped to turn and look at him with questions in her eyes as she folded her arms over her chest. "Or they're trying to support their kid and they're doing their best," she filled in, her tone not so neutral anymore. "And maybe to some it's a crappy job, but to others it's the best job in the world," Lorelai defended.

Greg's brows quirked. "You have a kid?" he asked, seemingly ignoring everything else she said.

"Yeah," Lorelai answered, wanting to hear what he had to say about that.

Greg's confusion grew. "I thought you said you were twenty eight."

"I am."

"And you're not married, are you? I mean if you are, no big deal, but you could have said something."

"No big deal?" Lorelai questioned, disgusted by what he was implying. "So you'd help me cheat on my _husband_, that wouldn't be a _big deal_ to you?"

Greg shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time," he said, not seeing anything wrong with that. "So are you married, or single? 'Cause I have to be honest with you, I'm not really looking to be someone's daddy, just looking for something casual. So, you know, you can leave your kid at home," he joked, while being completely serious.

Lorelai's jaw nearly dropped, but she quickly composed herself while backing away from him. "You know what; I think I'll take a cab home. Night, Greg," she said with an overly sweet smile before turning to walk down the street.

"Wait, Lorelai! I didn't get your number!" he yelled.

"And you won't," she mumbled under her breath while quickening her pace.

_Mrs. Kim's_

"There, they all fit," Lane said with a big smile once they finished storing the last of the CD's.

"See, told ya we could do it," Rory said with a grin.

"Yeah," Lane agreed. "Now we just have to figure out how to get the bean bag chair up here," she said while turning her head to the closet.

"And you need a T.V," the young Gilmore complained with a frown. "We can never watch movies or anything."

"That's why it's better to go to your house," Lane pointed out. "Hey, can we?" she asked as her face brightened.

"What?"

"Can we go to your house? We can sleep there and have movie night. It's so cool that your mom always knows like every line of every movie."

"Oh, good idea!" Rory exclaimed while reaching over for the phone. She quickly dialed her house, but a moment later frowned when no one picked up. "Maybe she went to the store," she said with an uneasy smile before calling her mom's cell.

"She didn't answer?" Lane asked when Rory hung up for the second time.

"No, it was busy," she said while looking down at the phone and wondering whether the rumors were true.

Is my mom on a date with Luke? Why didn't she tell me? What if they break up? What about dad? Those questions couldn't help but roll through Rory's mind.

_Hartford_

_Restaurant Lot_

Lorelai sighed after calling Sookie's and getting no answer. And then she realized that the chef was working some overtime at the Inn.

"Great," she mumbled through a sigh before reaching to pull her shawl tighter while cursing herself for letting the pretty get the upper hand over smart.

Lorelai reached into her purse to put her cell phone back and instead exchanged it for her wallet. She knew she didn't have much in there, but the question was, did she have enough for a cab ride home? Hartford was a ways away, a good half hour. Normally, she planned for this stuff, always having back up money, but the dates were always more local and she could walk, get a ride from Sookie, or take a cab. This had happened to her one other time. Her date freaked out when he learned that she had a kid and he ditched her at the restaurant. Luckily, Lorelai happened to be in Litchfield, just one town over from Stars Hollow, and the cab ride was nothing at all.

Now, she knew, would be a different story and nine dollars certainly wouldn't be enough to get her home.

_Diner_

"Luke's," the man himself answered.

"Hey, um, Luke?" Lorelai asked tentatively.

"Oh, hey, Lorelai, you coming in? 'Cause I'm already ahead of ya. Didn't throw the coffee out and the last doughnut's waiting for you to demolish it," he said with a grin.

Lorelai couldn't but smile a little. "And I'd be happy to do just that, but I'm kinda stuck in Hartford."

"Hartford?" Luke questioned. "Why are you in Hartford?

"It's a long story," Lorelai waved off, not in the mood to get into it. "But anyway, I tried calling Sookie for a ride, but she's at the Inn, and I can't call a cab 'cause I'm broke; surprise, surprise, and I know it's late and I know you probably have early deliveries tomorrow and you need to open at the crack of the dawn, but,"

"I'm on my way," he stopped her.

Lorelai blew out a relieved breath. "Thank you," she said

Luke nodded while patting his jeans to find his keys. "Where are you?"

"Oh, uh, this Italian restaurant on the corner of 5th, and Madison I forget what it's called," she stammered while looking around, trying to get a peak at the name. "I'm in the back parking lot."

"Go walk around the front or something, don't stay in back where no can see you," Luke ordered with furrowed brows. "You shouldn't be alone at night without anyone around. Why are you alone at a restaurant, anyway?" Luke asked, confused.

"Oh, you know, this place got five stars so I thought I'd come and see what all the hype was about," she said with a shrug.

"You have no money," Luke said while planting his hands on his hips.

"Yes, and had I thought of that before I left the house I wouldn't be standing here, waiting for a certain _diner owner_ to pick me up while _freezing my butt off_!" she exclaimed.

Luke sighed. "I'm coming, keep your pants on."

After hanging up with Lorelai, Luke quickly ran around the counter to head for the door. He switched the lights off, flipped the open sign to closed, and then jogged out to his truck, but not before locking the door behind him.

"Luke!" an all too familiar voice yelled as the diner owner slid into his truck.

"Jeez," he mumbled after glancing in his rear view mirror to find Kirk running towards him.

"Wait!" the poor guy yelled as he tried to pick up the pace.

Though he knew better, Luke couldn't help but have some sympathy for the poor, pathetic man that was Kirk. So he slipped out of his truck, leaving the motor running to warm it up a bit, and then swiveled around to the sidewalk to meet the guy halfway.

"What do you want, Kirk?" he asked while putting his hands on his hips and giving the man a not so patient stare.

"Is there anyone in there?" he asked while peering around Luke's shoulder.

"In where?" Luke questioned.

"Your truck," he said, as if it were obvious.

Luke's brows furrowed as a look of annoyance took his face. "Why would there be someone in my truck?" he asked.

"Didn't you go on a date with Lorelai tonight?" Kirk asked, confused as to why the man was alone.

Luke's hands fell from his hips as his confusion grew. "Who told you that?"

"Babette. She heard from Tilly that you and Lorelai were going out to dinner tonight," Kirk explained, his voice small as he looked at Luke with wide, questioning eyes.

It took a minute for Luke to put the pieces together, but in a matter of seconds he was able to figure out why Lorelai was in Hartford, and wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.

"I gotta go, Kirk," Luke said before turning away to hop in his truck.

"Are you picking Lorelai up?! Why is your date starting so late?!" he yelled after looking down at his _gumby_ watch.

_Hartford_

"Pants, pants, next time I wear pants," Lorelai muttered while looking down at her legs.

When she looked up again, her face brightened at the site of Luke's truck coming down the street.

Luke pulled into the front lot, his headlights on, helping him search for Lorelai and when he found her, his eyes widened. She was wearing a black v-neck dress that fell just above her bare knees. She had something wrapped around her arms, Luke wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he did know that it wasn't doing much to shield her from the cool autumn breeze.

"Hey," her voice broke his daze as she opened the passenger door to get in. "Sorry about this," she apologized with a wince while reaching to put her seatbelt on.

"It's fine," Luke said quickly while turning to the road.

"You're a life saver, Luke," she said with a smile.

"Yup," he said dully.

And then silence fell as Luke drove them down then highway.

No more than five minutes later, Luke turned to glance at her. "So, you're all dressed up," he commented, trying to keep his eyes from straying to her chest. He was a man after all, he couldn't help but want to look.

"Am I?" she asked while looking down. "It's just a dress," she said with a shrug.

"_Yeah, maybe to you,"_ Luke thought. "You wanna hear something weird?" he asked.

"What?"

"Kirk thought we were on a date tonight. Apparently the town thinks I was taking you to dinner."

Lorelai laughed. "Why would he think that?" she asked through her giggles.

Luke's brows quirked, he didn't think it was _that_ funny. He didn't really think it was funny at all. But apparently she did.

"Babette told him," he said.

Lorelai frowned. "She usually gets these things right."

Luke shrugged. "Well, maybe they heard you were going on a date tonight and just assumed it was me," he said carefully, wanting to see her reaction.

"But why would they assume it was you?" Lorelai questioned. "I mean we're just friends, we're not in a relationship or anything."

"Beats me," Luke said while keeping his eyes ahead of him. "So were you?"

"Was I what?"

"On a date?" Luke asked.

"Oh, um, yeah," Lorelai stammered, a little embarrassed by the whole thing. She knew the night wouldn't end with fireworks, but she wasn't expecting it to go down in flames.

"I'm guessing it didn't go too well."

"You guess right," Lorelai said with a small nod as her eyes trailed to her window.

Luke nodded, trying not to let a satisfactory smile take his lips as they entered the next town.

A moment later he sighed, feeling bad that she didn't have a good night. "I'm sorry," he apologized as they reached a red light. He looked over at her and said, "Whatever happened, the guys an idiot."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Luke nodded as a smile tugged at his lips. And then, yet again, he found himself mesmerized by her blue eyes. At first, his brain was yelling for him to look away, but after just seconds he ignored the voice, letting himself fall deeper and deeper.

Then, not a moment later was a he forced to look away when a car from behind honked and Luke nearly jumped outta his seat.

Lorelai couldn't help but laugh. "Easy there, Duke," she teased. "It's just a car beeping, don't be scared," she soothed with a smirk.

"Jeez."

To be continued…

**Please Review!!!! **


	12. Misery Busines with a Side of Pilgrims

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Twelve: Misery Business with a Few Pilgrims on the Side**

_Independence Inn_

_Kitchen_

"Let me just say, if there was ever any doubt that Rory Gilmore was destined to become a reporter, there isn't now," Lorelai said with a frown while walking through the kitchen.

"Uh oh," Sookie winced as she was, along with the rest of the kitchen staff, preparing for the thanksgiving feast on Thursday. "You told her?"

Lorelai nodded while plopping down on a stool. "I didn't really have a choice. I think she's been gathering information all week. She came to me with quotes and everything. She even had three completely different descriptions of the guy, which I'm assuming I can thank you for," she said with a knowing smile.

"I'm sorry!" Sookie apologized quickly. "But you know I can't keep a secret!" she defended.

"Yeah, I'm taking you to Blabbers Anonymous tomorrow," Lorelai said with a grin. "But, you know, we live in a loopy town, so it's to be expected. Someone thought he looked like Dustin Diamond. Right show, completely wrong guy. It was a game of telephone gone wrong," she said while shaking her head at the comparison. "And then you know the whole Luke thing. She seemed dead set against that," Lorelai said with a laugh. "Not that she has anything to worry about cause we're,"

"Just friends," Sookie finished. "So I've heard," she said with a grin.

Lorelai rolled her eyes.

Sookie smiled and asked, "How'd she take it?"

"Not as bad as last time," Lorelai said. "She didn't bolt or anything, but she did ask about Chris."

"Yikes." Sooke cringed.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "She asked if he was coming back. For good," she added through a sigh.

"Oh, boy." Sookie frowned. "What'd you say?"

"I told her the truth. I said I don't know, but even if he does, that doesn't mean we're getting together. She needs to understand that. She needs to realize that her dad has a lot of growing up to do, and I tried to explain that to her. I tried to explain that he's not ready for a commitment, and I'm not sure I want to be committed to him. Even if he does get it together. Of course I'd love it if he was around more for Rory, but the reality is he isn't. It's totally unfair for her and I hate that this is the way it has to be, but what can I do?"

"You can't do anything," Sookie said with a sympathetic frown.

Lorelai nodded. "I told her I wasn't going to see Greg anymore and I swore to tell her about the guy the next time I go on a date. But I don't think that will be anytime soon." She waved off.

"Aw, why not?"

"Well, as fun as it is, putting on the cute little black dress and the fancy earrings and the makeup, it's just a lot of work, too. I mean this whole process, trying to find someone, is really hard. And don't get me wrong, Rory's my heart, but truth be told, being a single mom doesn't exactly keep the guys comin. And, you know, things are good. Rory and I have a good rhythm going, so I think I'll just keep it at the two of us for now. I'm not gonna go looking for a guy."

Sookie nodded. "But if someone comes knocking?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I might answer. But that doesn't mean I'll let him in."

_Stars Hollow high_

"Well, it was just one date, right?"

"Yeah," Rory confirmed with a nod. "But I just… I like how things are. And what about my dad? Shouldn't my mom and dad be together? I mean parents are supposed to be together. Yours are," she pointed out.

"Your dad could come back," Lane pointed out.

Rory nodded. "Well, I'll see him in two days for thanksgiving. If he shows up," she sulked. "He didn't come for my first day of high school, like he promised he would. He's never even been to my house. Or this town," she added.

Lane frowned. "I'm sorry."

Rory shrugged. "I'm used to it. Mom says he has a lot of growing up to do, so maybe in a few years, he'll come and maybe live with us or something."

"Yeah, maybe," Lane agreed.

"Okay class, everything off your desks, and quiet down," the teacher warned the students while walking through the room. "Pop quiz," she announced.

Lane groaned. "Not again," she mumbled.

Rory sighed, though it wasn't the test that was she was worried about.

_Later_

_Inn_

"Are you sure you have to go?" Lorelai asked with a frown.

Mia nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be back," she said with a mournful smile while squeezing the girl's shoulder.

"But you should stay for thanksgiving, like last year. Why can't John and everyone come here, like they usually do?"

"They want to spend the holiday's home. You know Karen just had a baby," she reminded Lorelai about her grandson.

"Yeah," Lorelai said through a sigh. "You'll come back?"

"Don't I always?"

Lorelai nodded. "We'll miss you," she said while reaching to wrap her arms around Mia's back.

"I'll miss you, too," the owner agreed while squeezing the girl.

"Tell everyone we said hi."

"I will," Mia promised while stepping back. "Oh, and give this to Rory." She reached into her bag to hold up what looked to be a book all wrapped in pink paper.

Lorelai frowned. "But her birthday was last month, and you gave her a present. Several presents," she added. "Seriously, I think she's gonna dump me and start calling you mommy."

Mia grinned. "It's just a little going away present. And you hardly let me spoil the girl, so don't you fight me on this," Mia warned.

Lorelai laughed as she held her hands up in surrender. "I can only imagine what Christmas is going to be like," she said while taking the gift. "The number of gifts seems to double every year."

"Tell her I want a list by next week. And a long one, anything she can think of, add it," Mia instructed.

"Yes, mom," Lorelai teased, though she always thought of the woman as a mother.

"I know I said goodbye to Rory last night, but give her another kiss for me," Mia said while reaching for her things, but Lorelai shooed her hands away, taking the suitcases in her own, then leading the way outside where a cab was waiting.

"I will," Lorelai promised as they walked through lobby.

Once they were outside, Lorelai went to the trunk of the cab to put the suitcases away, then turned back to give Mia one last hug.

"I'll be back before Ellen leaves," she said over Lorelai's shoulder.

"And you'll stay for a while?" she asked, hopeful.

"Of course," Mia said with a smile. "Now back to work, I have a plane to catch," she said with a stern tone.

Lorelai smiled. "We'll take good care of the place."

"I know you will," she said with a loving smile. "Bye, dear." Mia kissed the girl's cheek before hoping into the cab.

Lorelai wrapped her arms around her middle as the cab steered away from the drive and followed the curve of the street. She took in a breath as the car turned into traffic and had to fight to keep her eyes from watering. It was always hard for Lorelai whenever Mia left, especially because she was gone for months at a time. It was hard for Lorelai to be without her mom for that long.

_Later_

_Stars Hollow high_

"So what should we do?"

"We could make a model of the solar system," Lane suggested.

Rory frowned. "But that's too easy; I mean that's the first thing everyone thinks of."

"Probably because it's so easy," Lane said with a shrug."Well, um, we could make a clay volcano."

"And that's the second thing," Rory said with a sigh.

"Well, you're the geek, you think of something," Lane said with a grin.

"After chocolate. Mom's going shopping with Luke; you wanna come to Sookie's with me?"

"Yeah. Got my emergency tooth brush, let's go."

_Pool Store_

"Are you sure you have time to do this every week?" Lorelai asked with a worried frown.

"For the hundredth time, yes."

"I know you really rock in the pool, but you've never taught anyone how to swim, right? I mean you're not a swim teacher, so how would you know how to teach someone else? Maybe I should sign her up somewhere," she mumbled thoughtfully.

Luke turned to look at her as they pulled into the lot. "Look, if you want to sign her up for real lessons, be my guest, but this'll save you some money and I know I'm no swim teacher, but I watched a few lessons at the Y. I can teach her," he assured the worried mom.

Lorelai turned to look at him with furrowed brows. "You stalking children now?" she asked with a grin.

"I needed to know the technique and stuff," he defended. "And they probably just thought I was a dad watching their kid, no big deal. Now I know what I need to buy and I can at least start her off until you can afford something real," he reasoned with a shrug before turning to open the door.

Lorelai quickly followed suite, moving to slide from her seat and then running around the truck to catch up with Luke.

"So what do you need?" Lorelai asked as they walked into the store.

"I'll know it when I see it," Luke murmured while starting down an aisle.

Lorelai sighed as she looked back and forth between the shelves on either side. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but something at the end of the aisle caught her eye.

"Oh, what about this, Hasselhoff?" she asked while grabbing a red floating device that lifeguards used.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm not even gonna ask, but that might help, grab it," he said with a nod before turning down the next aisle.

Lorelai's face lit up with excitement as she followed Luke down the next aisle.

"So you gonna wear those really short swim trunks with a whistle around your neck and make her call you Mr. Danes?" Lorelai grinned.

"She should probably use water wings to start out," Luke murmured, ignoring her comment while reaching for a pack.

"Water wings?" Lorelai asked with a frown. "She's not five."

"Has she ever been in the water?" he challenged.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Not really. It took me three years just to get her to step on wet grass."

"The lake?"

Lorelai shook her head. "But her friend Kathy is getting a pool in the summer, so I'm thinking they'll be there a lot."

"Got a while to learn then," Luke said with a nod.

Lorelai nodded. "Think you're up for the challenge, Duke?"

"Yup. But if she drowns, don't worry; you'll get your money back."

"As long as there's a guarantee," she said with a shrug.

_Later_

_Crapshack_

"Rory!" Lorelai whined. "You've been brainstorming forever, let's do something fun. I'm sure there's a really crappy movie on T.V that we can mock, and we still have some of those popcorn balls you go crazy over," she said while peaking into her daughter's room.

"I can't decide," Rory complained with a frown while keeping her eyes on her notebook. "Which one do you think will get us to the science fair?" she asked while holding her notebook up for her mother to see.

Lorelai walked further into the room to look at the list. "Oh, the volcano thing, that's always a crowd pleaser, right? And you could really do it up nice and make lava come out," she said with wide eyes and an advertising smile.

Rory shook her head. "That's our backup. At least one person does that every year for their project. We need something cool."

"I don't think science and cool fit in the same sentence, babe."

"If I knew how to build a robot, I'd do that," she grumped while turning back to her science textbook.

"Sweets, this isn't due for a month, you don't need to worry so much about it yet," Lorelai tried to reason.

"But I have school tomorrow and then Lane and I are helping with the horn of plenty, and then Thanksgiving is after that and I have other homework this weekend, and then back to school and I don't want to put it off," she said with a pout.

"Swim lesson with Luke, too, don't forget," Lorelai reminded her daughter of the lesson that was set for tomorrow.

"Oh, yeah," she said while turning to write that down in her little planner book. "But do you think it's a good idea?" Rory asked with a wince.

"What?"

"Swim lessons. Does Luke know how to swim?" she asked.

Lorelai laughed. "You think I would get someone who _doesn't_ know how to swim to teach you? I'm not sure if that would be very effective."

"I've never even been in a pool," she said with a frown.

"Bathtub, close enough." Lorelai shrugged. "And I tried to get you in the lake with me when you were a baby, but you wouldn't have any part of it. Seriously, you hated water. You would scream bloody murder as a baby whenever I gave you a bath. I remember the first time I did and you just looked up at me like, 'what the hell is going on?' and I just kept saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'

Rory's nose wrinkled as she said, "Well, you put me in the sink like I was a turkey or something. And I have to see the picture every day," she pouted while crossing her arms over her chest at the Polaroid that was up on the fridge.

Lorelai grinned. "You were too tiny for the tub, so I had you in your little seat and when I pulled out the sprayer thingy you got very upset like you knew what was coming. Little freak," she teased.

Rory stuck her tongue out at her mother in retaliation. "If I drown, I'm gonna haunt you forever," she warned.

"Okay, but stay outta the bathroom. I draw the line at your ghost watching me shower."

"And in the middle of the night when you're asleep, I'll make the creepy boo sound and walk through the house so the floor makes that creaky noise. Oh, and I'll use my ghost powers to make the window fly open," Rory listed with a big smile.

Lorelai nodded. "As long as you don't posses me, I'd be happy to have my own little Casper," she cooed while reaching to pinch her daughter's cheek, but Rory swatted her hand away.

"No pinching or I won't be a friendly ghost," she cautioned. "Oh, but I reserve scarring rights for at least once a week," she called.

Lorelai laughed. "Deal."

Rory sighed as she turned back to her desk. "I'm hungry."

"Finally!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically a she sprang up to her feet. "Ice cream?"

Rory frowned. "But we haven't had dinner yet."

"And who says ice cream can't make a good side dish? Cause I think it would go great with the leftover pizza."

Rory's eyes widened as she bolted up from her seat. "I want rocky road!"

"Not if I get it first!"

_Next Day_

"I know, I know, I'm late!" Lorelai exclaimed as she ran across the street to the square. "But Ellen was in fine form today, let me tell you," the Gilmore complained while reaching the horn of plenty charity table. "Oh, running that last block was not a good idea," she panted while leaning over to rest her hands on her knees.

"Would you like to donate some canned goods for those less fortunate?" Rory asked with a sweet smile and big blue eyes.

"Anything will help. Think of the poor kids who have nothing on Thanksgiving," Lane added.

Lorelai looked up to smile at the girls. "Look at you two," she awed," dressed like cute little pilgrims. And you're finally old enough to man the table yourselves."

Both girls frowned as Rory said, "Taylor says we still need adult supervision so we don't try and run off with the food or anything. Babette just went to get us sodas."

Lorelai's brows furrowed. "Jeez, Taylor needs to lighten up."

They both nodded in agreement.

"So would you like to help the cause, Miss?" Lane asked, getting back into character.

"Well, since you're dressed up all cute and everything," Lorelai trailed with a grin while reaching into her purse. "You take cash?" she asked.

"Yes," Rory grumped as she turned for the cash jar. "You come every year and you can never remember to bring food," the young Gilmore sulked with furrowed brows.

"Please, I don't even buy canned food for us, like I'm gonna go outta my way to buy something when I can just give you the dinero," Lorelai scoffed while pulling a five from her wallet.

"You suck at helping the poor."

Lorelai smiled. "But I can shop like a pro, and that's what really matters."

"Time to count," Lane said while opening the jar to check their progress.

Lorelai smiled. "I'm going to Luke's for a sec, you girls want anything?"

"Pie. And some coffee," Rory added with a grin.

"I've created a monster," Lorelai grumbled. "And you, Miss Little House on the Prairie?

Lane frowned. "No thanks, Mama Kim can see the square from here."

"Right, right," Lorelai realized. "Well, I'll try and sneak you some fries.

Lane looked up with wide eyes and asked, "Will you adopt me?"

Lorelai laughed. "If you ever become a little orphan, I'll be the first in line," she promised before kissing the girl's cheek. "Remember, big eyes and a wide smile. Hit em with the baby face, gets em every time. Especially those on their way to God's waiting room," she added with a grin.

"Huh?"

"Florida," Rory filled in with a giggle.

"Yes, Orlando, Florida: the old and retired capital of the USA. I should write their slogan."

"Oh, someone's coming," Rory said when she spotted an older woman crossing the street.

"Oh, look out Florida, there's another one coming," Lorelai whispered.

"Mom, go," Rory urged while trying not to smile. "I can't make people feel bad if I'm laughing."

"Okay, okay, I'm going," she said while swinging her purse over shoulder and leaning to kiss her daughter's cheek. "Smile pretty."

As Lorelai started down the block, she could hear Rory and Lane doing their little introduction, followed by the woman who couldn't help but praise their cute little outfits.

"That's my girl," she whispered with a big smile.

_Luke's_

"Taylor, when I opened this place, I never agreed to paper turkeys; so either quit it and order something or leave, either one of those options is fine with me."

"Oh, I'm just in time for the show," Lorelai said with a grin as she hurried to her favorite stool.

"But your diner is right across from the horn of plenty. People need to see that you have some holiday cheer, especially since you're a new a business," Taylor argued.

"Well, call me scrooge, 'cause I don't give a damn about holiday spirit," Luke grumped.

"If you would just put a few flowers outside and a big Happy Thanksgiving sign up on the window, then we wouldn't have to have this argument. You know your father never put out any decorations, and look what happened to his store."

Lorelai cringed. "Uh oh."

Luke froze; his fingers squeezed the rag in his hand as he turned to glare at Taylor. "My father's store went under because hospital bills were piling up like there's no tomorrow, we could barely keep up. I had to stop going to school so I could take care of him and try and save this place from going under while my sister was out doing God knows what, leaving me to do everything myself. A damn sign wouldn't have changed that!" he yelled before turning to disappear behind the curtain.

The room was quiet as Taylor sighed and went to leave.

Lorelai frowned as she turned to look at the mysterious curtain. The mysterious curtain that led to the mysterious apartment. And though he never actually said the words, Lorelai knew Luke didn't want her up there. What she didn't know was why.

Lorelai had asked Sookie about it once, but their conversation got interrupted when Ellen demanded her presence at the front desk, despite the lunch break Lorelai was on. All Sookie told her was what she already knew, that the place was his dad's office when the man ran a hardware store.

Lorelai thought maybe it had something to do with that, the reason why he didn't seem to want her up there. Like he was guarding all that was left of his father. Luke didn't seem to be over his dad's death yet and though Lorelai knew something like that could never be forgotten, the memory probably lingered all too well. And so of course did the pain.

After contemplating for a moment, Lorelai slid from her stool to round the counter and push the curtain aside with determination.

But then her body froze when she reached the stairs. She wondered if she should turn around and wait for Luke to come back. He had to come back eventually. And he seemed like the type to want to blow off steam on his own.

Despite this, Lorelai decided to continue on with her journey, wanting to make sure that Luke was okay. After all, the man was always helping her. She wanted to return to the favor.

And she was a tad bit curious about his apartment

Lorelai took in a deep breath before lifting her hand to tap on the glass. "Luke? It's Loerlai… can I come in?" she asked carefully.

"I'll be down in a minute," his muffled voice called back.

Lorelai's face fell. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered shortly. "Go down stairs, I'll be right there."

Lorelai sighed. "Okay," she called before turning around. "Maybe another day," she mumbled under her breath.

_Later_

_The Y_

"Big," Rory awed as she looked across at the indoor pool.

"Need room to swim," Luke said with a shrug.

"Here, babe, why don't you go change into your suit."

"Okay," Rory nodded, a bit hesitant a she went to take her bag from her mom.

Once the girl was gone, Lorelai turned to Luke. "So, um, you doing anything special for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Thanksgiving," she reminded him.

He shook his head. "Oh; no."

Lorelai nodded as she turned to look at the pool. "You know, I was gonna try and sneak in some holiday cheer, maybe a nice pumpkin or something, but then Taylor had to go and ruin it for everyone. The man can be a piece of work when he wants to."

Luke nodded in agreement.

A moment of silence passed before Lorelai turned to look at him. "I don't think he meant to hit you below the belt like that," she said with a wince.

"No big deal," Luke said with a shrug.

"I'm sorry. You know, about your dad," she added. "I just- I'm sorry," she stumbled, not knowing what to say.

Luke turned to give her a small smile while patting her knee. "So what about you?"

"What?"

"Any plans for tomorrow."

"Oh, well, usually we eat at the Inn with Mia and Sookie and everyone, but this year Mia went to spend the holiday with her family, and Sookie is going back to her parents place. Her mom is sick, really sick so she wants to spend the holidays with her while there's still time," Lorelai explained through a shrug. "Anyway, we're just gonna go to my parent's."

"They live in Hartford?" Luke asked, wanting to make sure he remembered correctly.

Lorelai nodded. "One of the few times a year we go over there," she explained. "Rory's all excited because Chris is gonna be there. Or so he says."

"Chris?" Luke questioned.

"Her dad," she explained.

Luke nodded and said, "Oh." He's heard mention of the name before, but never got the full story.

"She doesn't see him very often, so hopefully he'll show up. Chris doesn't have the best track record with keeping his word," she said through a sigh.

"Where is he now?" Luke asked curiously.

Lorelai shrugged. "God only knows."

"So you don't talk to him either?" he asked, a bit hopeful. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy over the man, having heard grumblings that Lorelai was waiting for him or something. Stupid town and their gossip.

"Not accept for the occasional phone call or once and a while visit."

Luke nodded. "Well, its good Rory will see him then."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "But you know sometimes I think it would be better if she doesn't. I mean he should either be here all the time or not be here at all. There's just always a negative result. He's either constantly letting her down or when he finally does show up, she'll be all happy and excited, but then when he leaves, she gets upset. She doesn't throw tantrums or anything, but she isn't her usual lively self, and it's not good for her to be on this emotional rollercoaster. I just wish Chris would grow up and get his life together."

Luke nodded, but all the while a part of him hoped that the guy would just stay away for good, though he knew that was selfish. A little girl should have her father, he knew that. Although from what he's heard, the guy seemed to be just another dead beat dad who didn't give a rat's ass about his kid, and to Luke, that made the guy a jerk. He himself wasn't overly fond of kids but Luke knew if he were in that situation, he would at the very least help take care of the kid.

"Okay, I'm ready," Rory announced while walking back to the pool area with her bathing suit on, a towel over her arm, goggles propped on her head and water wings in her hands. "But I can't get these things on," she complained while holding the floating devices up.

"Here, I'll get em on," Luke said while waving her over.

Rory took the few steps over to him while holding the water wings out. "Did you have to get ones with ducks on them?" she complained with a frown.

"Sorry, didn't realize," Luke apologized with a smile.

"Aw, the little ducks are cute," Lorelai cooed while looking down at the wings.

"That baby has the same ones," the preteen said while pointing a finger at a mother and daughter who were at the far end of the pool.

"Well, you probably don't _need _them. We'll be in the shallow end and I'll be right there," he reasoned with a shrug.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked with an uneasy frown as she looked between her daughter and the pool.

Luke nodded. "You're what? 4'11? 5'? We won't pass four feet," he said while gesturing to the pool.

Rory nodded. "4'11 I'm waiting for a growth spurt," she said with a shrug.

"Yeah, judging by your mom, you probably got at least another six, seven inches to grow."

"Yeah, cross jockey off the list," Lorelai commented.

Rory stuck her tongue out.

"Anyone starts a splash fight and we're done," Luke warned while looking between the two girls.

"Hey, I'm not going in the water," Lorelai said while holding her hands up. "I'm just gonna sit here and look pretty while you two do your thing. So go, go, become one with the water," she urged her daughter.

"Okay, but just remember that I don't have much hand eye coordination," she warned Luke as they approached the pool.

The man smiled. "I know. You'll be fine, come on."

"If you say so."

_To be continued…_

**Please Review!**


	13. Happy Chicken Day

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Thirteen: Happy Chicken Day.**

"My legs hurt," Rory complained while doing another lap.

"Last one," Luke assured her, his hands on either side of the floating bar with hers between his. "You need to get the feel of it," he explained while walking backwards, watching as she kicked through the water.

Rory nodded while pumping her legs back and forth, the water splashing behind her.

"Try and keep your legs under water," Luke suggested."You know, so you don't splash anyone."

Rory frowned. "What's the fun if I can't splash people?"

Luke grinned. "You sound like your mom."

"Thank you," the girl said with a proud smile.

"Almost there," Luke warned when he turned and saw that they were just a few feet away from the wall.

"Finally. I'm hungry."

"Of course," Luke muttered under his breath.

Rory worked to kick her legs faster, bumping it into high gear to reach the end of the pool.

"Mom, help," she called from the ledge while reaching an arm up.

Lorelai smiled and quickly hoped down from the benches to pull her daughter from the water.

"Always so dramatic," Luke mumbled about the girls while lifting himself from the pool.

"You did so good, baby," Lorelai praised Rory as she quickly wrapped a towel around the girl.

"I didn't even use my arms," Rory argued while holding her mom's Betty Boop towel tight around her body.

"Next time," Luke promised.

Rory nodded then turned back to her mom. "What's my score?" she asked while bouncing on the balls of her feet, trying to warm up.

"Tens all the way!"

"And if you weren't my mom?"

"A solid four," Lorelai said with a grin.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You did great, Rory. And I'm sure you'll do even better the next time."

"Of course I will, I'm a Gilmore," she said with a brilliant smile.

The two adults laughed.

_Next Morning_

_Dooses_

"It's a waste of money," Lorelai complained.

"No it's not," Rory argued.

"We're poor, we can't afford flowers, and they'll just have to understand."

"Fine then, we can't get any for Lane either," Rory said with a shrug while reaching to put the flowers back.

Lorelai frowned. "Why does it sometimes feel like you're the mom and I'm the daughter?"

"Because you act like a five year old sometimes," Rory countered.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes and said, "Mean."

Rory gave a careless shrug. "We're getting them both, now go find some candy," she ordered.

The older Gilmore rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom," she said before turning the aisle in search of Thanksgiving chocolate.

As her mom left, Rory turned back to the shelf and reached to grab the two bouquets. She pressed them against her chest and frowned at the only batch of flowers that were left. Just one more sitting there all alone. And then Rory realized that they usually bought three bouquets. One for Lane, one for her grandparents, and one for Mia at the Inn. It was just something they've always done. She and her mother didn't have a lot of money, so that was a small way for them to contribute to the big day.

"Got the last chocolate turkey and I get the bigger half since I had to go hunt it down," Lorelai warned while walking back down the aisle.

"Should we get one for Luke?" Rory asked abruptly.

"Get one what?"

The girl pointed her finger at the last bouquet. "I mean I know we aren't having dinner with him, but we usually buy three anyway and there's only one left and Luke isn't doing anything special today. Maybe he'll want some flowers," she finished with a shrug

Lorelai smiled. "That's a great idea, babe."

"So we can get 'em?" she asked, hopeful.

Lorelai nodded and then quickly, Rory went to claim the flowers.

"Come on, we still have time before Lane's, we'll give them to him now."

_Diner_

With an eager smile lighting her face and Luke's flowers being held in a tight, protective grip, Rory walked side by side with her mom, the girls on their way to the diner.

"Do you think he'll like them?" Rory asked anxiously while tipping her face up at her mom.

Lorelai nodded. "Either that or he'll pretend to," she said with a shrug. "Or hey, they'll get a good rant outta him. Either way it's good," she said with a smile.

"He'll like them," Rory decided.

And just as they turned for the door, the man himself came barging out.

Lorelai frowned as they took an immediate step back to avoid the collision.

"Hey, Duke, diner's that way," Lorelai teased while pointing to the door.

"And the lake's that way," he said while jerking his chin at the truck.

"Where are you going?" Rory asked.

"Fishing," he answered while putting his tackle box and pole in the back of his chevy.

"On Thanksgiving?" the young Gilmore asked.

"What about the diner?" Lorelai followed.

Luke shrugged as he doubled back to grab his rain boots. "No one's gonna come in today anyway, may as well do something productive," he reasoned.

"We were coming in," Lorelai argued with a pout. "And not just for the coffee, but we had a present for you."

"A present?" Luke asked with raised brows while ducking back into the diner to swipe his little radio from the counter.

"Yes, but now that you're ditching us for the fish, you're not getting it," Lorelai said primly.

"Jeez."

"Shouldn't you be open today? I mean what about people who don't have family to go to, but want dinner and couldn't make a big meal? Where will they go?" Rory asked.

"Al's," Luke said with a passing shrug.

Rory's face fell further and Lorelai squeezed her daughter's hand.

The girl's pouting face that just looked so much like her mother's made Luke sigh.

"I wouldn't get too many customer's today anyway, if any, and there's no sense in paying Caser for a nothing day. I'd just be sittin' around, starring at an empty room. No thanks," he explained. "I'd rather waste my day trying to catch some fish. Probably won't get anything, but what else have I got to do?"

"Hey, where are you going?" Kirk asked while coming up the sidewalk.

"Fishing," Rory supplied automatically.

"Fishing?" the man questioned. "On Thanksgiving?"

"He thought no one would come in," Lorelai explained, her voice saying, 'I told you so.'"

"He doesn't count," Luke grumped with a pointing index finger at Kirk.

The poor man's face fell. "I don't count?"

"Don't listen to the mean diner man," Lorelai soothed while shooting Luke a warning look.

He sighed. "So you're telling me I should open for _one _person? For _Kirk_?" Luke asked with that, are you kidding me, look.

"I'm sure more people will come," Rory added with a nod.

Luke braced his hands on hips as he looked between the diner and Kirk.

A moment later, he looked back to Lorelai. "Even if I did open, I don't have anything. No turkey no corn, no bread, nothing… well, wonder bread, but who the hell wants that? Damn butter rips right through it," he complained.

"But it's Thanksgiving, how could you not have thanksgiving food?" Kirk asked, his voice small.

"Well, he was planning on spending the day with the fishies," Lorelai offered with a wave at the truck.

"But not in the whole, you better pay up, or you'll be sleeping with the fishes, way," Rory added, her mother having taught her well.

Lorelai looked down to give her daughter a proud smile.

"Hey, sugah."

Everyone turned to find Babette and Morey coming, the man wheeling a red cart with their cat, Cinnamon, lying in the sun.

"Hey, Babette," Lorelai greeted with a smile.

The woman wore a big grin until she turned to find Luke standing next to a nearly filled trunk. She then looked back at the diner and her face fell further at what appeared to be a closed diner.

"You closed, doll face?"

The man's head fell.

Lorelai's gloating smile grew. "And now would be the point in the movie where Lorelai gets to say, I told you so!" she exclaimed.

"Look, I can't open okay? I don't have anything! Go to Al's!"

"But no one wants Chinese on Thanksgiving," Gypsy's voice argued as she approached the group.

"Ah, jeez," Luke groaned.

"Yeah, well, he tried to throw some Thanksgiving influences in last year- whatever the hell that is-, and it was anything but good eating!" Babette boasted with a serious nod.

"Not good," Morey added in that mellow, taking life easy tone.

"I hope you don't think you're closing. Taylor won't be happy," Gypsy warned. "He promised the town that finally, we'd have somewhere to go on Thanksgiving. You know, those who don't have fancy, rich dinners waiting for them," she said pointedly while eyeing Lorelai and Rory.

"The grub's good, but the cold front puts a damper on the festivities," Lorelai said with a shrug.

Gypsy rolled her eyes while turning back to Luke. "He's been trying to get Al to cave for years, but now that there's a diner in town, you'll be the first place he checks."

"Taylor can shove it," Luke said while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Mother always makes a big dinner, but she's sick and I promised her I would bring home food from the diner," Kirk said with a frown, afraid of letting his mom down.

Lorelai turned to Luke. "I don't think your audience is gonna to let up, Duke. You may as well kiss the fish goodbye and get in front of the stove," she said with a sweet smile.

Luke sighed.

_Dooses_

"I forgot to give Luke his flowers," Rory realized with a frown as she looked down at the bouquet in her hand.

"You can give it to him later, babe," Lorelai assured her daughter while squeezing her hand.

Rory nodded as she pulled the flowers closer to her chest.

"Okay, Thanksgiving food, Thanksgiving food," Lorelai murmured as they walked through the store, the older Gilmore pushing a small shopping cart with one hand.

"Mashed potatoes," Rory offered.

"Oh, yes, mashed potatoes," Lorelai agreed while making a sharp turn down the nearest aisle. Her pace was slow as her eyes went back and forth between the shelves.

"I don't think it's here," Rory said a moment later when they came to the end of the aisle.

"Well, how the hell would I know? I don't make mashed potatoes, let alone buy them."

"I'll ask Taylor," Rory said.

Lorelai nodded.

She and Rory had offered to pick up the supplies Luke would need to make dinner while the man went to prep the kitchen and everything. They still had a good twenty minutes before the Kim's dinner would officially kick off, leaving them time to help.

"Mom! Aisle five!" Rory shouted.

And aisle five she went.

XXX

"Six boxes?" Rory questioned.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know how many people are coming."

The girl nodded.

After finding almost everything they needed, there was just one small problem left.

"Don't turkeys take a while to cook?" Rory asked with a frown.

"I think so," Lorelai agreed with fallen lips. "And I doubt there's any left, anyway."

"Oh, we could get those little roasted chicken things. Close enough to a turkey," Rory said with a shrug.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oh, brilliant! My daughter is brilliant!"

Twenty seven minutes later, the girls were rushing through the diner, having stolen a Dooses' shopping cart to transport everything.

"We're late! We're late! For a very important date!" Lorelai shouted as they struggled to get the cart up the step.

Luke poked his head out from the kitchen and his brows furrowed at the girls.

"What the hell took you so long?" he grumped while walking through the open door to help them.

"Well, it starts with me not knowing where half this crap is and ends with the slowest cashier on earth ringing us up," Lorelai explained while stepping back as Luke rolled past them.

"Does Taylor know you took this?"

Lorelai smiled. "What do you think?"

"I think it'll piss him off when he sees it's gone. Thanks," he said sincerely.

"Anytime."

"So how much did you spend?" he asked while parking the cart behind the counter.

"Umm, subtract five from whatever you gave me," Lorelai said with a shrug while pulling his change out from her purse.

Luke turned to look at her. "You spent almost two hundred dollars?" he asked incredulously.

Lorelai nodded. "Thanksgiving is expensive, who knew. Oh, and speaking of Thanksgiving, we're so late. Come on, babe," she said while turning to Rory. "We'll be back later, and I expect a few rolls be set aside for your saviors," she said with a grin while backing to the door.

"Wait, mom,"

_Ring! Ring!_

Rory sighed as Luke went to answer the phone and said, "Never mind, I'll give them to him later."

The girls hurried down the block to burst through the antique store just minutes after dinner was served, and of course, not only were they stuck with slim pickings, but a lecture from Mrs. Kim came along with it.

After spending a good two hours at the Kim's, it was just late afternoon when the duo walked out into the breezy autumn day.

"You do realize that I only suffer through that every year because of Lane."

Rory nodded. "Yes I do, and thank you," she said with a smile while using her free hand to reach for Lorelai's as she held Luke's flowers in the other. "Do we have time to go to the diner?" she asked, hopeful.

Lorelai nodded. "Plenty of time."

"Good."

Lorelai took in a breath as she smiled down at her daughter.

_Diner_

The girls hurried down the block and barreled through the diner to find nearly every table taken.

Lorelai blinked at the crowd. "You know, for someone who thought no one would come, you sure are cooking for a full house."

Luke popped outta the kitchen with two plates in his hands, stopping to drop them off at the table by the window before going to the girls.

"You can't be here to eat," he said as a matter- of- factly.

"And if we are?" Lorelai challenged.

"You just ate," he pointed out.

"Yeah, icky health food," she complained with a scrunched up nose. "You should move in with Mrs. Kim, you two would get along great," she accused with a jabbing finger at his chest.

"Excuse me, Luke?" Rory asked sweetly.

The man looked down at the girl.

"Here, mom and I got you flowers," she said while holding the bouquet out to him.

Luke frowned. "Why'd you get me flowers?" he questioned, confused.

"Because it's Thanksgiving," she explained.

"We always get people flowers on Thanksgiving. It's our thing," Lorelai supplied.

Luke's brows cocked further. "What the hell do I do with them?"

"Put them in a vase with water," Rory said.

"I don't have a vase."

"Everyone has a vase," Lorelai argued.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Apparently not."

"Well then buy a vase," she said logically.

"Yeah, I'll go do that right now," he grumped before stalking off to the kitchen, dropping the bouquet off on the counter on the way.

Rory frowned at her mom. "If he leaves them there, they'll die."

Lorelai smiled. "I'm sure he'll put them in water later, babe. Come on, let's eat."

They quickly claimed an empty table by the window and got settled before flagging down Luke to put in their orders. And though Luke wasn't all too thrilled with serving them another dinner since they just had a meal and soon would have another, he complied, really having no other choice when Lorelai's lips fell and her blue eyes widened.

"Fine, but no coffee," he warned before turning around, not giving them a second to argue.

The man returned two minutes later with two plates in his hands.

"You should pull up a chair and eat with us, Duke. Everybody needs some turkey on Thanksgiving. Or in this case, chicken," she said with a shrug before digging in.

"I'm working," he argued.

"But everyone's eating. You should take your ten and eat," Lorelai reasoned. And then she frowned. "You do get ten, right?"

Luke couldn't help but smile. "Yeah," he answered. Though he did own the place, so the ten could be twenty or thirty, and really, whenever he wanted.

"Good. Now please sit," Rory requested. "I'll move over," she offered before scooting to the next chair.

Lorelai smiled at her daughter before looking up at Luke. "Rory Gilmore has spoken. It's best you listen to her. You don't want to face her wrath, trust me. She may seem all cute and innocent with the angel face and big, blue eyes, but my mini me packs a punch," Lorelai warned.

"I will if I have to," Rory agreed before digging into her food.

Luke sighed. "And if I said I'm not hungry?"

"Doesn't make a difference," Lorelai finished. "Sit," she ordered with a pointing fork at the empty seat across from her.

"Alright, jeez, hold on," the man grumped before turning to the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled at the victory, her eyes lingering on his passing body just seconds longer than they should have. And of course, her curious, perceptive, twelve year old reporter in training noticed.

The young girl frowned while looking down at her plate, watching as her fork left tracks in her mashed potatoes as the dreaded question lingered on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to know, but at the same time, she was afraid of finding out. She didn't want things to change with her mom and Luke. She didn't want to get the wheels turning. Things were good the way they were and so she couldn't help but fear a possible oncoming relationship.

Rory's blue eyes looked up at her mom and before she could stop it, the words left her mouth.

"Hey, mom?"

"Yeah?"

And then she froze. She just couldn't ask. If the answer was yes, she didn't want to know. If things would change soon, she didn't want to know.

"You, um, dropped your napkin," she covered.

"Oh," Lorelai realized while turning to find her napkin on the floor. "Thanks."

Rory nodded. "Welcome," she said quietly before turning back to her food.

_Later_

_Gilmore Mansion_

"Okay, its 6:47, and I will, no matter what, have us outta there by nine," Lorelai promised.

Rory shook her head. "You said that last year and we didn't leave until 9:52."

"9:52?" Lorelai questioned. "You've got some memory, little girl."

"Thanks, but I checked my diary this morning."

"Oh, that's right, you keep those weird, minute by minute, thought by thought, dairies," Lorelai said through a laugh.

Rory frowned. "Don't mock my dairies," she said while reaching for the door bell.

"Hey, we're still early!" Lorelai exclaimed as she reached to stop her, but it was too late.

Rory stuck her tongue out. "That's what you get for being mean."

"More and more like your grandmother everyday" Lorelai mumbled just as the door swung open and low and behold, there was Christopher on the other side.

"Dad!" Rory exclaimed, her eyes lit up with excitement as she jumped into his arms.

"Hey, kid," the man said with a smile while wrapping his arms around her. "Hey, Lor."

Lorelai smiled. "Hey. Long time, no see."

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said with a wince. "Been a busy couple of months."

"_More than a year, but who's counting?"_ Lorelai thought. "Yeah, well, it's good to see you," she said sincerely.

"You too. You look good, Lor," he complimented while lowering Rory to her feet.

The Gilmore rolled her eyes, but her lips curled to a smile.

"So dad, have you been traveling a lot?" Rory asked curiously.

The man tore his eyes away from Lorelai to look down at his daughter. "Yeah, I have. I rolled through Philly last week and I got you something."

Rory's eyes widened. "You got me something?!"

Chris laughed at her excitement. "Yeah, come on, its inside," he said while holding his hand out.

Rory took it and quickly followed her dad into the house.

Lorelai sighed, her brows creasing with worry as they went.

_Later_

Everyone was seated around the living room. Emily and Richard were sitting opposite from each other in their respective chairs. Chris and Rory were on one couch, and Lorelai was on the other with a martini sitting on her lap.

"Wow, that's cool!" the young girl awed at her dad's story as she clutched a small statue of the liberty bell in her hands. "When I get older and I graduate from high school, mom and I are gonna travel. We're gonna go to Europe," she gloated while flashing her gaze to Lorelai, who nodded in encouragement.

Chris's brows shot up. "Really? Europe?" he questioned as his mind flashed back to the plans he and Lorleai had made over a decade ago.

"Yeah, it's her graduation present," Lorelai explained before taking a sip of her martini.

"You never mentioned that before," Emily noted.

Lorelai shrugged. "It was a recent thing," she explained.

"Some present, Lor," Chris said.

"Well, your daughter wants to go to Fez," Lorelai defended.

Chris's brows furrowed. "Fez?"

Rory nodded enthusiastically.

The man laughed. "What the hell is in Fez?" he questioned.

"Christopher," Emily cautioned. "Watch your language, young man."

"I'm sorry, Emily," he apologized.

"Excuse me, dinner is ready," the new maid said.

"Thank you, Delia," the elder Gilmore woman said with a smile.

"Come on, dad, you can sit next to me," Rory said while tugging at his hand.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he said with a smile before standing up.

Rory led the way, pulling her father into the next room with Richard close behind. The man wasn't all too spirited, having an impending business call due at any moment and just too much stress at work.

Next, came Emily and Lorelai. The older Gilmore woman pulled her daughter's arm, hanging them back and leaning in to whisper, "Christopher looks well, doesn't he?"

Lorelai turned to find a big smile on her mother's face before saying, "he looks like he always does," carefully.

"Before you got here, he was telling your father and I that he has a new job lined up. Isn't that exciting?"

Lorelai looked over at the dining room, where the man in question was pulling out a seat for his daughter. Her eyes narrowed at Chris as he took a seat next to Rory. She's heard the same song and dance before and knew the steps all too well.

"That's great, mom," she said dully, knowing that it wasn't true. The man got bored all too easily and could never really grasp the concept of a nine to five job.

"It is, isn't it?" Emily said excitedly.

XXX

After the ceremonial first cut was done, the maid took the turkey back to the kitchen and returned moments later with plates for everyone. The side dishes were already out, just awaiting to be consumed.

Then, about an hour later, dessert was just coming out from the kitchen and Lorelai couldn't help but marvel at all the bullets Chris had dodged.

To Lorelai, her mother wasn't right about many things, but there was one thing they both seemed to agree on. Chris was a charmer- but Lorelai would never admit that to Emily. The man could schmooze people. And he had a way of avoiding the truth, even twisting it. He danced circles around her father's questions about his supposed "new job," and new just how to turn the conversation away from him at exactly the right moment. It was quite a show.

"You know, Lorelai's single," Emily mentioned, the words snapping Lorelai from her thoughts.

Chris grinned. "Really?" he asked while looking across the table. "No one passed the test, huh?'

"Yeah, well, you know me and my high standards," she said tersely before shooting her mother a glare.

Before another word could be spoken, the phone rang and Richard sprang up from his chair, explaining that it was the call he had been waiting for as he scurried off to his study.

Thankfully, the phone ringing had thrown everyone off and Chris took the interruption to excuse himself. Lorelai could swear she saw him pull a box of cigarettes from his jacket as he walked to the foyer.

"_Huh, that's new," _she thought.

Emily sighed with an opportunity gone as she reached for her wine glass.

"I, um, have to use the bathroom, I'll be right back," Lorelai said before standing up from her seat.

Emily gave a careless nod as her eyes strayed to her granddaughter and her gaze caught something.

"Rory, please, remove that toy from the table. You're not a baby, you don't need toys at dinner," she scolded.

The young girl quickly snatched her bell and pressed it to her lap, her hands shielding her precious gift.

_Outside_

Lorelai slipped out the front door, her arms wrapping around her middle to avoid the cool fall breeze.

"Hey," she said quietly, not wanting to scare the man.

Chris spun around at the voice. "Oh, hey," he said before turning to blow a puff of smoke in the other direction.

Lorelai frowned. "So you're back on that again, huh?" she asked, knowing that he used to smoke. As a teenager, when she was snooping around for concert tickets, she found a pack in his jacket.

The man shrugged. "I don't do it all the time. And I'm trying to quit," he added.

Lorelai nodded. "You better not let your daughter find out. I'm thinking we should yank her from school, damn place is turning her against me," she complained with a pout.

Chris smiled. "So how you been, Lor?"he asked.

"Good," she said with a nod. "Things are good."

"You still working at that Inn?"

"Yeah."

The man's brows furrowed. "I can't see you working at a place like that. Never thought you'd turn into a suit," he teased.

Lorelai smiled. "It's actually pretty low key. And I don't wear a suit. Not the whole get up anyway," she said with a shrug.

"Wouldn't want you to turn into your mother," he joked.

"God, no," Lorelai said with a quick shake of her head. "Shoot me if you ever see that happening."

"Will do," he promised before taking a drag.

A moment of silence passed as Lorelai tightened her arms around her tummy while her gaze wandered to find Chris's bike parked out on the street. She's always wanted a bike. There was a thrill in riding, something that she's seen and always wanted to experience for herself.

"So dare I ask about the job?"

"Probably best if you don't."

Lorelai nodded. That was all the answer she needed. There was no big job.

"How do you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Travel. Ride around on your motorcycle all the time, zipping through states. You hardly work," she said.

"Hardly is the key there," he pointed out while putting out his cigarette, then throwing it to the street. "I work enough, here and there; life's too short to stay in the same place, stuck in some crappy, boring job. You used to feel the same way, Lor. You used to want to see the world. Tour with the Bangles," he added with a grin.

Lorelai smiled, though it was small. "Yeah, well, having a baby changes things. Life's too short to ride around aimlessly and miss a second with her," the mom said pointedly.

Chris sighed. "Look, I know I'm not around a lot and I don't call much, but that'll change," he promised. Just like always.

Lorelai frowned. "I don't want to fight with you, Chris. I just want to make sure you know what you're missing."

His eyes darted to her. "Oh, I do," he said with a big smile as his gaze trailed over her.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Your daughter, wise ass."

"I know," he said with a nod. "I'll be better, I promise."

The words rang through Lorelai's mind as later that night she and her daughter rode on a nearly empty bus to Stars Hollow.

The Gilmore snapped from her daze and looked down at her baby who was lying up against Lorelai's side, her eyes closed as she slept with her hands held around her gift. The older Gilmore couldn't help but worry about what was to come tomorrow. And every day after that, until Chris would make another appearance. Her daughter would be sad come morning light. And her spirits would dwindle just a little bit more with every passing day that Lorelai knew wouldn't bring a phone call from her father. It was just a cycle that wouldn't change. Not now. Maybe not ever.

_To be continued…_

**Please Review!!!!**


	14. Spreadin the Dark Day

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Fourteen: Spreadin' the Dark Day**

_CrapShack_

"And we've officially run out of Thanksgiving leftovers," Lorelai announced through a sigh while letting the fridge close behind her.

Rory's face fell. "Really?" she asked from the table.

Lorelai nodded sadly, her face looking like she just lost a close relative or her favorite red pumps.

"Well, it has almost been a week," the young Gilmore realized. "How did it even last us this long?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

Lorelai shrugged as she fell to the chair next to her daughter. "There was a lot. And we've been eating out."

"We _had_ to do Al's grab bag night," Rory complained. "We never get it right."

"I'm surprised _you_ haven't, Miss, I- cheat- every time!" Lorelai shot back. "You can't always pick the same thing!"

"We wasted money! We should have just gone to Luke's! We end up there anyway!"

Lorelai's face fell as she leaned back against her chair. "What do we do?"

Rory's brows furrowed as her eyes strayed around the room. "Pizza?"

"Didn't we have that for lunch?"

Rory shook her head. "Yesterday."

"I'm all pizza-ed out." Lorelai winced while clutching her hand to her stomach.

"We're not having Al's again," Rory warned firmly while getting up. "Maybe we can have something here," she thought while moving to the cabinets. She leaned over the counter, stood up on her tip toes and swung the doors open to find a box of chocolate chip cookies, mallomars, and a bag of baking powder. With curious eyes, she picked up the almost full bag. "How'd this get in there?"

Lorelai turned to look. "Oh, remember, a couple of years ago we tried to make that cake for your birthday."

"Oh, yeah," Rory realized "Halfway through you wanted to make it all out of frosting," she said, smiling at the memory.

"Seemed like a good idea in theory," Lorelai said with a shrug.

Rory sighed as she closed the cabinets, afterwards moving to the fridge. She opened it to find nothing but a few bottles of water, leftover desert from the Inn, a bottle of soda, and leftovers from JoJo's, though there was barely anything left.

After surveying the bare shelves, she turned back to her mom and said, "Luke's?"

Lorelai nodded. "Luke's."

_Diner_

"… I still say we're in a food rut," Lorelai insisted as they walked through the room.

"We could start shopping, make our own dinners at home," Rory suggested.

Lorelai turned to look at her daughter like the girl had grown a second head. "And we could shave our hair off and join a cult, but that isn't gonna happen… unless they worship Bono or something, then we throw caution to the wind."

"Kid's got a point," Luke's passing voice threw in.

Lorlai narrowed her eyes at his moving body. "She's food deprived and doesn't know what she's talking about."

"It wouldn't kill you to make her a home cooked meal every now and then," he said while swinging around the counter.

"I don't know how to cook and I'm perfectly fine with things staying that way, thank you very much," Lorelai said while sliding onto a stool.

"She can't even make eggs," Rory said with a crinkled up nose. "They're always all runny and icky."

Lorelai gasped, offended. "My eggs are not runny!"

Luke sighed as he plucked two menus from the holder. "Here. Order."

The girls grew quiet, having busied themselves with trying to find something appetizing.

"Why don't you have, like, deserts?" Lorelai asked.

"Got a pie right there. You're not getting any till you've eaten real food," he said firmly.

Lorelai shook her head. "What about, like, brownies or something? Or, oh, chilly toped Pringles!" she exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Oh, that sounds good!" Rory agreed.

"I know, right!"

"Nope. No chilly topped anything. Now order or you're both getting salads," he warned.

Lorelai sighed. "Burger and fries."

"Me too," Rory seconded with a frown while closing her menu.

Luke grinned as he turned to the kitchen.

"Next time, we order something crazy," Lorelai said determinedly.

"Like what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know… breakfast or something."

"Oh, breakfast for dinner! Good idea! Do you think it's too late to change our orders?"

"Yes!" Luke yelled from the kitchen.

"Damn."

_Later_

The dinner crowd was thinning and the Gilmore girls were just finishing up their pies when Luke warned them.

"So I thought I should tell you now so you don't show up tomorrow with pitchforks. Rather not have a repeat performance of Thanksgiving."

"Tell us what?" Lorelai asked before carrying another piece of blueberry pie to her mouth.

"I won't be around tomorrow and Caesar's got a family thing or something, so diner's closed."

"Why?" Rory asked.

"Miss the fish?" Lorelai teased.

Luke shrugged. "I'll be away for the day, so you're gonna have to go to Al's," he teased.

"But what's tomorrow?" Lorelai pressed. "Is there a holiday or something we don't know about?" she asked while turning to Rory. The girl just shrugged and she turned back to the diner man. "Flannel convention? A can't miss backwards baseball hat thingy sale?"

"I just won't be here, okay?" he said impatiently. "You want anything else?"

"Uh, no," Lorelai said quickly.

Luke nodded before turning back to the store room.

The older Gilmore looked at her daughter with surprise. "So that was weird, right?"

Rory nodded in agreement. "Maybe he just wants a day off," she reasoned.

"Maybe," Lorelai murmured thoughtfully as her eyes trailed to the store room.

_Next Day…_

Though she heard Luke loud and clear the night before, while taking her daughter to school, Lorelai couldn't help but let her eyes wonder to the diner. She was almost surprised to find that it was indeed closed. The sign was up on the door, the lights were out, and the blinds covered the windows.

In the few months that Lorelai's known Luke, he's never once closed. He was always there. Every day. He never seemed to get sick or anything. Today, though, was a different story. What that story was, Lorelai wasn't sure.

When she got to the Inn, she spotted Kirk delivering flowers to the front desk. The man had recently gotten a job with the flower shop.

"Hey, Kirk," she said while quickly hurrying to stop him from leaving.

"Oh, hey, Lorelai," he said with a bright smile. "Would you like a flower?" he asked while holding a daisy out to her. It was leftover from the order.

"Thanks," she said while taking it. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure," he said easily. "I have a few minutes before my next delivery."

"Great, come on," she said while leading him to the next room. She then urged him to have a seat on the couch while she sat on the chair next to him.

"Is there something special going on today? Some reason why Luke closed the diner?" she asked, digging right in.

Kirk frowned. "Oh, man, Luke's is closed?" he whined. "I really wanted to take mother there tonight. Her feet finally settled down. They were swollen for days," he explained with a disappointed frown.

"Kirk, focus," Lorelai said with a snap of her fingers. "Do you have any idea why he would close?"

"Well, probably because of his dark day," the man said with a shrug.

Lorelai's brows furrowed. "Dark day?" she asked, having never heard about that before

"No one's sure, but we think it's because today's the anniversary of his dad's death. No one knows where he goes or what he does, but every day, on November 30th, he disappears," the man said with a shrug.

"Wow," Lorelai awed in a whisper.

_Later_

_Stars Hollow High_

It was a half day for the middle school students, the upper grades busy with states tests and Lane and Rory were on their way to _Kim's Antiques_ to complete the last leg of the race.

"You didn't tell your mom, right? She still thinks we're in school?" Rory asked as they hurried across the street.

"Right," Lane said with a nod. "Mama should be sleeping so everything is set to go."

The Gilmore nodded and off they went to put their plan into action.

_The Inn_

"Where do you think he went?" Lorelai asked from the kitchen, where she sat on a stool with a mug between her hands as she watched Sookie prepare the night's salad.

"Probably up to the cabin," Sookie said with a shrug.

"What cabin?" Lorelai asked.

"His dad had this cabin up in the woods, along the lake, a couple of hours from here. They used to go there all the time when Luke was younger, before his mom died," the chef explained. "But for all we know, he's up in his apartment all day."

"His truck is gone," Lorelai argued.

Sookie shrugged. "Did you ask him about it?"

"Yeah, but he wouldn't even tell me why he was leaving. I had to ask Kirk."

Sookie nodded. "That's just the way Luke is, honey. I think because he's been on his own for so long, he's just used to keeping everything to himself."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed through a sigh. "That's probably why."

_Cabin_

Just like every year, just like clockwork, Luke arrived at his dad's old cabin right on schedule. Early afternoon. And the place looked the same, just like always.

To a stranger's eye, the house would give off the impression that someone was living in it. At least using it on a regular basis, but Luke knew better. Just years ago, he had struck a deal with a man who owned a similar looking cabin just half a mile up the road. He was an older man, a retired soldier from the army. His wife and children had died years ago, in a car crash and ever since then he's pretty much taken up residence in what used to be just a vacation/getaway home.

The man, Brett, knew Luke's dad. They were good friends. Both went on fishing excursions and hunting trips whenever their visits coincided. He was a good guy and Luke had no problem trusting him with his dad's cabin.

The deal was made just a few years ago when Brett spotted Luke driving up to the house. It was the year after his dad's death and no one, not even Will, had been up there after Avery's death. It happened years before Luke's father had gone, when Liz and Luke were just children.

Brett told Luke that the place was shot, it's going to hell. The man didn't B.S. He just got straight to the point. He was very straight forward.

And then he asked Luke why he hadn't been up in such a long time and Luke just shrugged, not having an answer. The older man cracked an understanding smile and demanded a copy of the keys. He promised to look after it.

And so now, just like every year since, it was no surprise for Luke to see the full, lush green lawn, cleared pathway, and grown plants lining the porch rail. It even looked like the old man tossed a fresh coat of paint across the walls.

Luke put his old Chevy in park and sighed as he leaned back against the bench seat. It was hard for him to be up here. The place was littered with memories, most of them overwhelmingly great, which made it that much harder. Traces of his past, his families past, and the years they spent together were all over the place. Things were good then. His parents were alive and well, his sister was an innocent little child- though she did manage to get on his nerves sometimes, it was different then. And the cabin, every summer, for weeks at a time, was the place where it was all about them. His dad didn't work, he and his sister didn't have school, and his mom was just so happy.

Luke closed his eyes, letting the flash back fill his mind.

"_Every summer, huh?" Avery asked with a coy smile. _

"_Yup," Will said with a nod. "And don't worry, got rid of the dear head," he teased while flashing her a grin. _

"_I go in waer!" Lizzie whined while clutching a teddy bear to her chest. _

"_You sound like a baby!" Luke complained. _

"_I nuh baby!"_

"_Stop it, or no one's doing anything," Will warned while plucking the key from his pocket. _

_Avery smiled as she reached to pick Lizzie up. "You tired, baby? You didn't nap in the car."_

_The toddler shook her head firmly and insistently, but her mommy smiled, knowing otherwise. She cradled her baby's head to her chest and started humming the girl's favorite lullaby. _

"_Guess she is, huh?" Will asked while pushing the door open. _

_Avery nodded while rocking back and forth, smiling down at the girl as she closed her eyes, giving up the fight. _

And then a car from the road beeped, causing Luke to snap from his daze. That was the first time they had all been up here. His dad had the place for years before that, but it was too bachelor pad and his mom wasn't a nature girl. It took some heavy persuasion to get her there. And for a handful of summers after that, they had all spend a chunk of every season in the family cabin.

But his mom eventually got sick and their worlds were turned upside down.

Luke took in a long breath as he pushed his door open. Slowly, he made his way to the back of the truck to grab his fishing gear, getting ready to do what had become tradition. He would spend the day sitting out on the dock, his feet dangling above the water as his pole bobbed up and down, waiting for a bite.

He wouldn't dare go into the house. That would be too much for him to handle. Luke was sure of that.

_Stars Hollow_

"Maybe we should just bring it in through the house. Mama's sleeping," Lane reminded her friend as they sat under the tree, Rory busy tying a rope around the carpet.

Rory shook her head. "It's too heavy and if we drop it on the stairs or something, your mom will wake up."

Lane nodded, though she couldn't help but bite down on her lower lip while casting a worried glance at her house.

"Okay, there," the Gilmore said while giving the rope a tug to make sure it was on tight enough. "I'll go up," she said while pointing to the low roof that led to Lane's bedroom window, "and you stay here and throw the rope up," she instructed, having thought out the plan just days before.

"Are you sure you can pull it up?"

Rory shrugged. "Only one way to find out," she said while hopping to her feet and moving to the tree. "Why do I have a feeling I'll be doing this a lot more from now on," she mumbled with a frown while trying to figure out how to climb the tree.

"Because you probably will be," Lane agreed easily. "Now that I have a whole room, that possibilities are endless!"

"Okay, umm," Rory hummed while frowning in concentration "How do you climb a tree?"

"I have no idea."

"I should have been a girl scout," the young Gilmore complained.

Lane laughed. "Try that branch," she suggested while pointing to a low one.

Rory nodded and carefully lifted her leg to the branch, bouncing her foot on it a few times to test its strength.

Lane stood on the ground with her fingers crossed as she watched her best friend climb up the tree and then hoist herself up onto the mini roof.

"I did it!" the Gilmore cheered victoriously and just a bit too loudly. Lane instantly shushed her, causing Rory to giggle as she covered her mouth.

"We should have gotten a blow up rug," Lane grumped while bending for the rope.

Rory smiled, knowing that she had received a blow up chair for her birthday, the gift being easier to sneak in then the rug with a print that Mrs. Kim would not be all too fond of.

"Throw it up!" the twelve year old urged.

Lane nodded and she quickly tossed the rope as high as she could.

Rory huddled close to the edge, one hand planted behind her as she reached for the flying rope.

"Try again," the young Gilmore urged a minute later when she missed it.

Lane ran over to grab the rope and give it another go, this time throwing it with more force and Rory thought it was a clear shot, but her body reached over just a little too far…

"Rory!" Lane exclaimed, her eyes wide as her friend went tumbling over the edge.

XXX

"Rory!" Lorelai shouted as she barreled through the thick crowd.

"Mom!" the girl cried from where she sat on the edge of an ambulance, about to be ushered to a stretcher for the ride to the hospital.

"Oh my God!" the young mom gasped at the scene. "What's wrong?! What hurts?! What happened?!" she asked in a rush while hurrying to the ambulance.

"We're pretty sure her arm is broken," Coop said.

Lorelai's eyes widened as her blue orbs flew to her daughter, watching a paramedic wrap a blanket around the girl's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry," Rory apologized as she wiped away the tears in her eyes.

Lorelai's face fell further. "Aw, baby," she sulked while cupping her daughter's cheeks in her hands and pressing several kisses to her forehead.

"Lorelai! You're here!" Mrs. Kim called when she spotted the woman. "Girls were trying to climb the tree. Rory fell and that's when I heard Lane scream. I didn't know they were here. Lane didn't tell me school ended early today. She is grounded for a month for lying and I think you should do the same for Rory," the woman said in that firm, no nonsense, kind of business tone she carried. "Lane, tell Rory you're sorry she got hurt."

With sad eyes, Lane looked up at her friend. "I'm sorry, Rory," she apologized again, having said it a million times before, while the chaos was still going on.

Mrs. Kim nodded. "We will both pray that your arm heals quickly. Come on, Lane," she said before putting her hands on the girl's shoulders and leading her inside.

The young Kim winced as she reluctantly followed her mom, clearly wanting to instead stay with her friend.

Lorelai turned to the paramedic. "She's gonna be okay, right? A cast on her arm and that's it?"

The man nodded. "Hopefully she won't need surgery or anything, but we'll know for sure after some X-rays at the hospital. Will you be riding with her?

"Of course," Lorelai said firmly while looking back at her daughter.

Rory squeezed her eyes shut while avoiding Lorelai's gaze. She took in a deep breath before leaning forward and burying her face in her mother's neck.

"Oh, sweets," Lorelai chocked while hugging her baby the best she could, careful not to jar her arm.

"Let's go, boys, load 'em up!" Coop bellowed.

_Later_

_Crapshack_

After spending hours on end at the hospital, the girls finally arrived home. Both of them broken, though the cast on Rory's arm making her pain stand out.

"You wanna sleep in my bed tonight?" Lorelai asked, unknowingly just barely beating her daughter to the question.

The girl nodded while holding her green covered arm close to her chest.

Thankfully, she hadn't needed any surgery. They did some testing, and then concluded that a cast for 4-6 weeks should do it.

"You go on up, babe, I'll get you some clothes."

Rory gave a silent nod before dragging her body upstairs.

Once the girl was out of site, Lorelai released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. From the second she got that call, the panic arrived and she moved on autopilot, darting from the Inn to the center of town in record time.

Lorelai closed her eyes, telling herself, "she's okay, she's okay," over and over again.

"She's okay," the woman repeated aloud. And then she nodded firmly at the words before turning to Rory's bedroom.

When she arrived upstairs, she frowned at Rory who was lying above the covers with her arms curled under her chin, her left hand holding a grip around her cast.

Lorelai carefully eased down on the side of the bed, reaching to smooth Rory's brown hair away from her face before leaning to kiss the girls cheek.

"Sweets, I got you clothes," she reminded her gently.

Rory rolled over, holding her arm to her chest as she sat up.

"Does it hurt?" Lorelai asked with an uneasy smile as she motioned for Rory to lift her hands up.

The pre-teen nodded while allowing her mother to pull the shirt over her head.

"I'll give you some more medicine," Lorelai said while putting an I Love Lucy p.j shirt over the girl's body. "You want to leave the sweats on?" she asked, jerking her chin to Rory's black sweats.

She nodded.

"Okay," Loerlai said with a nod before tossing the clothes on a chair across the room. "Lay down, baby, get comfy," she urged while holding the covers open.

Rory scooted under the blanket and eased down on a pillow. Once she was settled, Lorelai pulled the covers up high and then kissed her daughter's forehead.

"I'm just gonna go change, okay?"

Rory nodded.

Having to tare her eyes away from her broken baby, Lorelai finally stood up a moment later to head for the bathroom, but before she could, a small voice stopped her.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, honey?" she asked quickly while turning around.

"Are you mad?" Rory asked with a fallen face.

Lorelai laughed shortly as she shook her head at the question. "You almost gave me a heart attack today," she said truthfully while moving back to the edge of the bed.

Rory held her arms out from the pillow and Lorelai managed a small smile while leaning forward to hug her daughter the best she could.

"You have to tell me what happened, sweets," Lorelai said before sitting up.

Rory nodded, knowing it was inevitable. "Me and Lane got this carpet at a garage sale and it had, um.. Blondie on it," she remembered. "And we needed one for the closet but we had to wait until today so we could bring it in while Mrs. Kim was napping. So we planned to sneak it through the window. I had to climb the tree and go on that roof thing and when Lane threw the rope so I could pull the rug up, I leaned too far and fell," she explained with a frown.

Lorelai sighed. "So all that other stuff you asked for your birthday, the chair, the disco ball…?"

Rory nodded.

The room grew quiet for a moment before Lorelai turned back to Rory.

"I don't know what to do here, babe," Lorelai said honestly. "You were sneaking a carpet into Lane's room. You climbed a tree, hoped on a roof, to smuggle a Blondie rug in," she finished with a laugh. "And while other parents are worried about their kids stealing or doing drugs, mine's falling off roofs. Because of Blondie."

Rory smiled as her mother laughed. Even she could hear how ridiculous it sounded.

"So, um, you're not mad?" the girl asked carefully.

Lorlai turned to find her daughter's eyes. "You have a broken arm, baby. I couldn't be mad if I tired," she said.

Rory nodded in understanding.

"I just wish there was something about this in the handbook," she joked, trying to ease the situation.

"I'm sorry," Rory apologized with a wince.

Lorelai took her daughter's hand, swaying her fingers across the girl's knuckles. "You're not a liar, sweets. I didn't raise a lair. I know you're a good kid. I know what you're doing isn't bad, not by more normal circumstances. I know a 12 year old wanting CD's and a disco ball doesn't' violate any laws, but to Mrs. Kim, it's not okay. She and I, we do things differently. I see something as being perfectly okay, but to her, it's a sin or something. I know that what the two of you have been doing isn't bad. Not by my standards. And I don't know exactly what's been going on over there, but tell me its nothing bad- nothing I would think is bad."

"It's not," Rory denied. "We just put those things in her closet, you know, so her mom wouldn't see. She wanted a room like mine, like our house," she said with a shrug. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

Lorelai nodded. "I know," she said, just needing to hear the words. "I'm not gonna ground you. I think a broken arm and guilt is punishment enough, and really, I just don't back Mrs. Kim's way of thinking. But it's her house and her daughter, so her rules apply there. I know I can't stop you guys from buying CD's, and sneaking in candy or things like that, but please, Rory, promise me no more stunts. I can't handle this. I can't handle the thought of losing you," she begged desperately as tears welled in her eyes.

At the site, Rory's eyes boiled with water. "I promise," she said while sitting up to hug her mom, pressing her head to her mother's chest. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, baby.'

_Next Morning_

Luke had arrived back to Stars Hollow late the night before and by the time the sun had risen, the story had made its way over to the diner.

Lorelai was getting ready to leave in search of some breakfast for her and her daughter when she spotted Luke hopping up her porch steps.

"Oh, hey," she said, blinking in surprise at him.

"Where is she!? Is she okay!?" he asked anxiously.

Lorelai smiled at his concern. "She's fine. Her arm is broken, but she'll be okay."

"Good, good," Luke said nervously.

Lorelai's smile grew. "Who told you?"

"Who do you think?"

Her smile turned to a grin. "Well, we don't call them the gossip queens for nothing," she said with a shrug.

Luke cracked a smile. "Oh, uh, here," he said while holding out a _Luke's_ take out bag. "Figured she wouldn't want your runny eggs this morning so there's some edible ones, pancakes, bacon, sausage," he listed. "and two muffins," he added.

"What, no coffee?" Lorelai teased.

"Oh, damn it!" he cursed. "I knew I forgot something!"

"Luke, I was kidding, it's okay," she said through a laugh. "You didn't have to do this. I was coming over to get food. You didn't' have to leave work to bring this over," she said, feeling bad that he went out of his way.

Luke shrugged. "I thought, you know, so you didn't have to leave her. I broke my fair share of bones when I was younger. The arm's a pain. Is it her writing arm?"

Lorelai nodded, her lips frowning.

"Ah, man," Luke groaned. "How long? 'Bout a month or so?" he guessed.

The Gilmore nodded. "I just can't believe it. My heart nearly stopped when I heard Mrs. Kim on the phone. I don't even remember what she said, just that Rory fell and the ambulance and that's it. Everything else is a blur. I ran outta there so fast and when I got there, she was sitting in an ambulance, holding her arm, crying, and I just… I don't know." She shook her head, at a loss for words. "Took a couple of years from my life, I know that much," she said with a smile.

"I bet," Luke agreed. "Anyway, I should get back," he said reluctantly. "Caesar's alone," he explained.

Lorelai nodded. "Well, thanks, Luke, she'll love this," the Gilmore said while holding the bag up.

"No problem," he assured her. "Call later if you can't come by and I'll bring some lunch."

Lorelai smiled. "You're something, Luke Danes, you know that."

The man looked down, shrugging away the compliment. "It's just food."

Lorelai smiled further at Luke being Luke. "You're a good friend."

He looked up to find her gaze. "So are you."

Her smiled turned to a shy one as she found herself unable to tare her gaze away from his.

It was close. He was close. She was close.

Luke almost leaned forward, wanting to touch his lips to hers, wanting a taste, but before he could either stop himself or take a leap, Lorelai cleared her throat, breaking the trance.

Though she wouldn't admit it, Lorelai was scared. So she ran, avoiding what had become forbidden, just like she had the handful of times the scene had happened before.

"I should get back," Lorelai's voice low as she gestured to the house behind her.

Luke nodded while burying his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, yeah, go," he urged.

Lorelai nodded, blowing out a quiet breath as she turned to her house, but before reaching the front door, she looked back at Luke, the man just approaching his truck.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I, um, I'm sorry," she apologized. "You know, yesterday, I bugged you, but I didn't know that,"

"It's fine," he stopped her.

"I just, I thought,"

"Lorelai, it's fine," he repeated, but the woman's lips were still locked in a frown. "I'm fine," he tried. "Really, I'm okay," he tried to assure her.

Lorelai nodded at his smile. "You know, if you ever need to talk or anything, you can. I'm here," she added.

Luke nodded. "Thanks," he said, though he knew this was something he wouldn't be able to talk about. "I'll see ya later, Lorelai."

She nodded. "Bye, Luke."

Lorelai hugged the take out bag close to her chest as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. When she entered the room, she moved across the floor quietly and carefully because of her sleeping daughter.

"My baby," she whispered, her adoring eyes watching as Rory slept.

A moment later, she set the food down on her nightstand and then frowned after hearing a crinkling noise while lowering to the bed.

With curious eyes, Lorelai picked up the paper and instantly frowned at the heading on her daughter's Hello Kitty notepad. And it only got worse from there.

"_Dear, Dad,_

_Thanksgiving this year was so much fun and I'm so glad you came! I love the liberty bell and it stays on my nightstand all the time. It's so cool that you travel all over, seeing all these places, but you think maybe you can visit Stars Hollow? I could show you around and you can stay with mom and me and I would be so happy to have you here!_

_I know you're busy, but, um, you can write me back. If you want to. You know, if you have time. _

_Okay, well, bye, Dad!_

_Oh, wait, I forgot, I broke my arm. But don't worry, I'm okay! It was gonna happen eventually; I mean kids break things all the time, right? I think so. I just hope I don't end up like the boy in the plastic bubble. I mean I'm not that clumsy, so I don't think I'll need to live in a bubble. Than I'd have it worse than Lane. That would be bad. Lane can't even have CD's! Nothing good. She's only allowed to listen to Christen music. Her mom really likes God. _

_Okay, um, anyway, you have our address right? Oh, wait it would be on the envelope. So if you want to write me back, you can. But only if you have time. _

_Bye again!_

_Love you!_

"Oh, boy," Lorelai murmured at the loopy words, the handwriting not up to the usual Rory par, but decent enough to understand. Good enough to see that yet again, because of Christopher, she would have a broken daughter when the man would fail to write back. Fail to call. Fail to show up.

It always ended the same.

_To be continued…_

**Please review!!!** Thank you!!!


	15. A Plague of a Different Color

**Author's Note-**

_Please put down your pitchforks! A new chapter is here! But I'm SO sorry for the long wait. This chapter just kept going on and on, lol. I didn't expect to have this much to say and I'm not half way through yet. There's plenty more to go with this part of the story, which hopefully you will all like, so the next chapter will pick up pretty much right where this one left off, this is a two-parter ladies and gents , :D_

_Kay, here we go, twenty pages, hopefully the length makes up for the time spent waiting, and if not… well, hopefully there won't be an if not. : )_

_Now before you read on, I wanna say thank you to everyone for the reviews, you're all awesome!!!! And enjoy!!!!_

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Fifteen: A Plague of a Different Color**

_( Mid December)_

_Independence Inn_

"It's so itchy," Rory complained as she scratched the surface of her cast, like if her nails went digging long and hard enough, they'd rip right through the solid material.

"No, no, complain about the pain, that's how you get people to feel bad for you," Lorelai instructed as she stood behind her desk preparing for the weekend retirement party that would be hosted in the dining hall.

"Mommy," Rory called with a pout.

Lorelai turned and couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's wide blue eyes and frowning lips. "Why don't you run through the kitchen? Kaylee's working, she'll steal you some chocolate when Eddy isn't looking," Lorelai suggested, the man in question being the head chef and a strict one at that. "You know she loves you, and you're bound to get more treats if you hold that arm and keep that pout you've got going."

"Oh, good idea!" the girl cheered while hoping from the stool and then darting to the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled, but before she could return her attention back to her work, an all too familiar voice stopped her.

"Lorelai!"

The Gilmore winced as she looked up carefully and slowly, and when she did, her face fell further at the site of a not so happy Ellen, the woman looking about ready to pop, the date in just a few long weeks- at least for everyone at the Inn, it was a ways away.

"Hey, Ellen," Lorelai said politely, hiding her grimace and instead whipping out a smile. "I, uh, thought you had the day off."

The woman shook her head, her eyes burning with annoyance. "Lisa called in sick and while I know Mia would think this would be a prime opportunity for you to break in those ugly heels," she started while casting a glance at Lorelai's shoes, "I know the place would probably burn to the ground if I left you alone, so here I am," she finished, her lips forming an overly sweet, sarcastic smile. "And what have I said about letting that kid behind the desk."

Lorelai sighed, but she kept it hidden.

Though of course the assistant manager was never a ray of sun shine, she really unleashed her wrath when Mia wasn't around. And pair her oh so jolly attitude with unpredictable pregnancy hormones and no one was safe, especially Lorelai.

See, the feud started many moons ago; right around the time Loerlai began working at the Inn. Apparently, before the Gilmore appeared on the scene, Ellen was a completely different person. She was nice, sweet, caring, and a really good butt kisser. She was Mia's best employee and managed to climb her way up, and fast too.

But everything came to a crashing halt when Lorelai got a job at the Inn. So when things started to change and Mia saw Ellen's attitude alter, she called the woman in for a meeting and though the owner could clearly see that Ellen was jealous of Lorelai and production she cranked out every day, she wanted to know if there was another, bigger reason.

For years, Ellen and her husband had been trying to get pregnant. And so when a sixteen year old showed up with a baby, and went to really succeed with her work and with motherhood, she lost it. It took more than five years, but even when Ellen did conceive, the hate and jealously towards Lorelai still ran deep.

And so now Ellen was, well, frankly a bitch sometimes, though everyone, especially Mia, tried to understand, and deal with it. The sympathy given to her and her skills for the job made it impossible for the kind hearted owner to fire her for her attitude problems.

"I'm sorry, Ellen," Lorelai apologized, though she wanted nothing more than to call the lady out. "It won't happen again."

"So I've heard before," she returned smartly. "That brat better not be in the kitchen again. No children allowed in the kitchen!" she called before marching off.

"Oh no," Lorelai panicked while spinning around to head for the other door, and she reached it quickly, immediately spotting Rory who was standing next to Kaylee, the chef in charge of deserts. "Rory! Code blue!" she hissed.

The twelve year old turned and her eyes winced when she saw her mom and heard Ellen's approaching voice. "Thanks," she said to Kaylee quickly before darting for the door.

Thankfully, Ellen wasn't moving so fast these days and Rory made it out just before Ellen walked through the kitchen.

"Close one," Lorelai murmured as they hurried through the lobby.

The young girl nodded. "When's Sookie picking me up?"

"Soon. Why don't you go read in the lobby? You should be safe there."

Rory nodded before running off to find a good book.

Once she was out of site, Lorelai blew out a breath.

"Where is she?" Ellen demanded while popping out from the kitchen. "I know I saw her go in there," she said while pointing over her shoulder.

"Reading in the lobby," Lorelai answered easily while approaching the desk. "You really should calm down, Ellen," she started while swiping her things. "I can see the steam coming outta your ears and I'm sure that's not good for the baby," she said with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," Loerlai said while clutching her folder to her chest before turning on her heel.

Ellen stumped away, angry and confused as she went looking for someone else to yell at.

_Later_

After finishing up at work and heading over to pick her daughter up from Sookie's, the Gilmore duo found themselves at Patty's to break the news.

"But you're a dancer, Rory! A work in progress!" the woman argued with a frown. "You can't quit."

Lorelai laughed. "I've seen her dance and there is no progress being made. Zero. None. Nothing," Lorelai scoffed. "Put a pen in her hand, and she rocks. Give her a headline and my journalist to be here will find you a story, but Rory Gilmore cannot dance to save her life. Stick a fork in her, she's done."

"I second that," Kirk added while pulling a mat from the chest. The senior citizens yoga class was due to start soon and he wanted to get a good spot.

"Oh, hush, Kirk" Patty said. "While I disagree with your mother," she started while turning to grab a flyer, "I'll forgive you for leaving if you join my gymnastics class in the spring. You're a little old to be just starting off, but I'll bet there's a gold medalist buried deep down inside there, just waiting to burst out!" she exclaimed.

At the comment, Lorelai burst out laughing.

Rory looked up to glare at her mother. "Just for that, I wanna join," she said indigently, her tone saying, 'you'll be sorry' with a look in her eyes that reminded Lorelai of her mother.

"Wonderful!" the dance teacher cheered. "Sign there and bring a check the first day of class."

Lorelai sighed. "Gimme a pen."

With a victorious smile, Patty plucked a pen from the podium that was set up for the town meeting, then reached to hand it to Lorelai.

The Gilmore scanned the sheet quickly, then signed her name at the bottom.

"Thank you, dear," Patty said while folding the parent permission slip.

"Yeah, yeah," she said while taking her daughter's hand. "Come on, babe, let's go get some grub."

Rory nodded. "Bye, Miss Patty!"

"Bye sweetheart! And take care of that arm! We can't have one weighing more than the other, you'll fall off the balance beam!"

"I will!"

_Diner_

"Do like we practiced, okay?" Lorelai whispered while hopping up the stairs.

Rory nodded while squeezing her mother's hand in excitement.

"Hey," Luke said in passing when the girls walked in.

"Hey, Duke. Anywhere?"

"Anywhere," he confirmed.

Lorelai nodded and she turned to look at an old man sitting at a nearby table. "Hi. Could you move please?" she asked brightly.

"That wasn't funny last week and it's not funny now," Luke growled while putting his hands on her shoulders and guiding her to the counter.

"Hey, no, we want a table so we can play bagel hockey," Lorelai protested weakly, frowning at the nearly full counter.

Luke shook his head. "You can't be trusted at a table."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him while plopping down on a stool.

"Mommy, my arm hurts," Rory sulked while holding her right arm to her chest.

Lorelai turned to her purse while piping up with her line of their little 'script'. She messed around for a minute, pretending to look for some medicine, and then looked up a moment later to frown at Rory.

"I left your medicine at home, sweets."

The girl's face fell further, just like they had rehearsed.

Luke frowned. "Run to Dooses, I'll keep an eye on her," he offered.

Rory shook her head. "I don't want medicine, I want to eat," she said pathetically while moving to lean against her mom's arm.

"Anything you want," Luke said quickly.

Rory's eyes widened. "Anything?" she asked, hopeful, her voice small.

Luke nodded and said, "Take your pick," while holding out a menu.

"Thank you," Lorelai said sweetly. "You want me to turn the pages for you, baby?" Lorelai asked, really playing up her daughter's broken am.

Rory nodded, her lips frowning further as she looked on.

The girls spent a minute going through the menu, waiting for Luke to turn away and when he went to the kitchen, Lorelai whispered something to Rory. The young girl nodded, understanding the next phase.

"Luke?" Rory asked weakly when he came out.

"Yeah?"

"Can it be something off the menu?"

Luke shrugged. "If I can make it, sure."

"Do you have chilly?"

The man nodded.

Lorelai's eyes brightened. "And oh look, Pringles!" she exclaimed while pulling out a canister from her purse.

It took a second for Luke to catch up, but then he remembered what had happened just weeks ago.

"No, and no!" he said firmly while glaring at mother and daughter. "She put you up to this, didn't she?" he asked Rory.

"I plead the fifth," Rory said before burying her face in her mother's arm.

The man looked back to Lorelai. "Using your kid's broken arm for your own sick amusement," he said with a disappointing shake of his head.

"Hey, there is nothing sick about chilly topped Pringles! It's genius! You would be smart to market this before someone else gets their hands on it!" she defended.

"Just for that, no pie. And you're both getting salads."

Rory snapped to look at him. "But, my arm," she protested.

"Nope, not gonna work," he refused. "And you're not keeping those either," he said before snatching the Pringles.

"Hey! Get back here!"

_Next Day_

It was a weird morning.

Now, normally, Rory was up and at em' before Lorelai. In fact, there have been several mornings where the girl has had to stomp upstairs, swing the bedroom open and yank on the covers to get her mother to wake up for the day. This morning was different.

"Rory?" Lorelai called curiously when she was met with an empty kitchen. She looked over at the coffee machine and found that here hadn't been any started. "Babe?" Lorelai called while knocking on the door. When she got no response, she opened it and was surprised to find her daughter's sleeping body underneath the covers. The only couple of other times she could remember Rory over sleeping was when…

"Uh oh," Lorelai panicked while darting to the bed. She put her hand on Rory's forehead and gasped after feeling how hot the girl's skin felt.

Rory rolled her head over, her eyes peeping open to find her mom standing over her. She was confused for a minute, wondering why her mother was dressed and ready to go, and she herself was still in bed. She knew Lorelai was never dressed this early on a weekend and hardly awake before her.

"Aw, baby, I think you're getting sick," Lorelai said while cupping her daughter's cheek to find her face just as warm.

The prê teen's brows furrowed. "Why is it so hot in here?" she complained, her voice hoarse from sleep as she kicked off the blankets. She then reached to scratch the itchy skin of her legs and Lorelai's eyes widened at all the red bumps.

"What's today?" Rory asked curiously, oblivious to her mother's panic as she worked her nails over her legs while peaking over at the calendar. "Is it Saturday? But I thought yesterday was Thursday."

"It was," Lorelai said absentmindedly while lifting her daughter's shirt enough to see spots across the girl's belly.

"Wait, it is Friday?" she asked while turning to look at the alarm clock to find that it was past seven. "I'm gonna be late!"

"Oh, no, no, no," Lorelai said while holding the girl down. "You're not going anywhere."

"Mom, we can't play hooky," Rory whined.

Lorelai shook her head. "Now I know why you've been so itchy," she murmured. "And tired, you've been napping," she said thoughtfully. "I thought it was just the arm, but there must be spots under there. You've been getting sick this whole week," she said sadly.

"What?" Rory asked, confused, while following her mom's visual path to find her legs covered in bright red spots. She put her hand to her skin to feel the bumps and with wide eyes she looked back to her mom.

Lorelai sighed.

_XXX_

"Yes, she has a fever… all over her body, yeah… she woke up with them, but she's been tired and everything for days… okay, yeah… yeah, scratching is bed, got it… okay, I will…. Thank you," Lorelai said before hanging up with the doctor.

Before going back down stairs, Lorelai quickly ducked into the bathroom to grab a few things and with the items in hand, she hurried back to the kitchen. She grabbed the Tylenol bottle, and then went for her daughter.

"Open," she instructed.

With a sad face, Rory propped open her mouth and quickly swallowed the medicine. "We need to get you on pills soon. Next year you won't be on the kiddy dosage anymore," she said sadly.

After the couple of teaspoons had been consumed, Lorelai promised to be right back. She had another call to make.

"But I can't, Rory has the chicken pox," she argued.

"_And the dog ate my homework_," Ellen mocked. "_Get here for the meeting, or start looking for another \job_," she warned before hanging up the phone.

Lorelai sighed. If Mia were around, she wouldn't have this problem. But when Mia and Lisa weren't around, Ellen was in charge.

Lorelai thought about calling Sookie, but knew that wasn't possible. The chef's mother had taken a turn for the worst yesterday and so she was with her mom. Mrs. Kim wasn't an option; no way would she even come near the house, not wanting to catch the virus and then pass it on to Lane, who hasn't had the chicken pox yet. And that was it. The list ended there. Thought there were a few backups in Babette and Patty, but Babette was away with her husband for his gig and the dance teacher always had a list of classes a mile long for about every day. Lorelai couldn't do that, she couldn't ask the woman to erase her whole day, though she knew if she absolutely had to, she would. And Patty would do it of course, but Lorelai would keep it as a last resort.

"Shit," the Gilmore cursed.

And then the phone rang.

"Hello," she answered, hoping it was Ellen to say that she changed her mind.

"_Hey, Lorelai, you guys coming in this morning? I ran outta sugar and I assume 'cause you both are so damn hyper all the time that you some there_," he said while searching the storage room.

"No, no sugar," Lorelai said.

"_Crap_," he said while kicking the search up a notch.

And then Lorelai thought about Luke and couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever had the chicken pox?

"_Twice_," he said distractedly.

"Really?" Lorelai asked, surprised.

"_Damn thing hit me one year after the other. Why_?"

"No reason," Lorelai denied. "I just, um," and then she sighed. "Rory has the chicken pox,"

That stopped Luke in his tracks. "_If this is another ploy to get your chilly topped Pringles, you can forget it_."

Lorelai couldn't help but smile. "I have to go into work today, but no one's around to look after her. I just thought that you know, if you had it already you could," but she stopped there, realizing that she couldn't ask the man to watch her kid. She couldn't ask a guy she's only known for almost a handful of months, to drop everything and watch her sick daughter. "Never mind."

Luke's brows quirked as he asked, "_She really has the chicken pox? You're not messing with me here_?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Even I wouldn't sink that low for chilly topped Pringles, Luke."

"_Oh, I, uh_," he sputtered while reaching to adjust the cap on his head. "_Well, Casear's here, I could leave, but I don't know anything about kids, much less how to handle their bodily functions_"

Lorelai shook her head. "I know, I understand, it's okay Luke," she tried to assure him.

The man sighed while looking back to the shelves. "_There's no one else, huh_?" he asked, not too thrilled with being around a sick person. He had enough of that with his parents.

"No," Lorelai said. "But that's okay. I can stay home, I'm sure Ellen can't really fire me," she said with confidence, knowing that Lisa was above the woman and of course, with Mia at the head of everything.

"_Fire you_?" Luke asked, the words catching his attention.

"Yeah. Who knew that 'my daughter has the chicken pox' was right there with 'the dog ate my homework', cause I sure didn't. I must have missed that newsflash."

Luke sighed. "_Lorelai, I don't know, I mean I don't know anything about kids_," he said with a frown.

"Really, Luke, it's okay. I wasn't asking for anything, I'm just trying to figure this out… I could probably just call Mia. I mean even Lisa won't be okay with me going over her head, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?" she said through a breath.

"_No_," Luke denied, "_You shouldn't have to be stuck like this. Why isn't her dad around_?" he asked and Lorelai was surprised at the anger in his voice.

"He just isn't," Lorelai said with a shrug. "He never has been. I grew up when I had Rory, Chris didn't," she finished with a sigh. Lorelai could swear she heard Luke mumble the word 'jerk', under his breath, but before she could ask, he said something else she wasn't expecting to hear.

"_I'll be over in a minute_," he promised.

Lorelai blinked. "What?" she asked.

"_You need someone to watch Rory, right? She seems pretty low maintenance, I can look after her, make sure she doesn't stick her hands in any outlets or anything_," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai smiled, but shook her head. "You don't have to do this, Luke. You have the diner to run and while normally I would agree with the low maintenance thing, she gets a little clingy when she's sick, which is totally fine, but I don't know how she's gonna be with you and with her broken arm and everything… I should just stay home," Lorelai waved off. "I can just call Mia, I mean I don't' have to deal with Ellen for much longer, and Lisa doesn't a hold a grudge for too long, so it's okay."

"_No, you're not risking your job. I can come; I mean she'll probably sleep most of the time, right? I always did when I was sick. I know what she likes to eat, I can make her food, keep an eye on her. You go to work_," he said firmly with growing confidence that he could handle it.

Lorelai bit down on her bottom lip while looking to her daughter's open bedroom. "Are you sure?" she asked doubtfully.

"_Yeah, yeah, go_," he urged. "_Casear's here, I'll just tell him to get through the breakfast rush, then close for the day_," he said with a shrug.

"No, Luke, I don't want you closing because of me," she said with a frown.

"_We could use a day off anyway, and I can always open later_," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai thought for a moment, realizing that she could probably head in for the meeting and duck out afterwards. An hour, two tops. "It should be okay," she thought about leaving her daughter with Luke. She's left Rory at the diner before and the man was probably right. Rory would most likely sleep for a chunk of the time.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"_Lorelai_," Luke warned.

"Okay, okay," she surrendered. "Let me just clear it with Rory."

"_Yeah, go ahead_," Luke said while moving through the dining room, trying to get Caesar's attention.

Lorelai pressed the phone to her chest while peeking into her daughter's room. "Babe?" she called softly.

Rory's eyes fluttered open as she asked. "Yeah?"

"Sweets, I have a quick meeting at the Inn, but Luke's gonna come by, okay?"

"Luke?" she questioned, her voice small as she leaned up on her hands to sit.

"Yeah," Lorelai confirmed while walking further into the room. "That okay?"

"What about Sookie?" she asked worriedly.

"Sookie's with her mom, babe. Everyone else is tied up." She winced, thinking Rory wasn't okay with Luke coming.

"Oh," the girl said with a frown while reaching to scratch her arm, but Lorelai grabbed her hand in time to stop her.

"No scratching," Lorelai warned while holding the girl's hands tight in hers, the phone slipping to the bed.

"But it's itchy," she complained.

"I know, I'm gonna put lotion on you, but are you okay with Luke coming by? It'll only be for an hour or so."

"But has he had the chicken pox? What if I get him sick?" she asked.

Lorelai smiled at her daughter's concern. "He's had it twice, hon, when he was a kid and it left waving a big white flag, so he should be okay," she said with a grin.

Rory nodded while trying to pull her hands free, but Lorelai just gripped tighter.

"No scratching," she warned again, not wanting her daughter to ruin her pretty, perfect skin.

"Fine," the girl grumped while yanking her hands back, and then falling on her pillow.

Lorelai sighed. "I know it's annoying, but you'll be glad when this is all over. Last thing you want is icky scars covering every inch of your body."

Rory nodded.

"Okay," Lorelai said through a sigh while standing up. "Phase two."

_Doose's_

Luke hurried through the market, picking up items he was sure that Lorelai didn't have and putting mashed potatoes at the top of the list. Lorelai told him that the girl liked her starches, especially when she was sick and so he knew mashed potatoes should work. He could make a large batch of them and leftovers should be easy enough for Lorelai to reheat.

Just as he was about ready to go, he came to the end of the aisle to find a box of tea bags. It was a long shot, he knew, but still a shot. He wouldn't give a sick twelve year old coffee. He hated even giving it to her at all, but despite Lorelai's addiction and undying devotion to the drink, she was careful with her daughter, allowing the preteen to have some here and there and encouraging him to sneak in decaf whenever possible.

"My, my, that's a lot of groceries," Patty awed with a smile when spotting the man's basket. He never purchased that much, and certainly not all at once.

"Yup."

"Didn't know you were a chocolate fan," she noted at the Hershey bar he swiped for Rory.

"Live and learn," he said while walking passed her to get to an empty register.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Gilmore, would it?" the dance teacher asked knowingly. "Helping Lorelai out with her grocery shopping?" she asked, wondering if he was picking up a few things for the woman.

Luke nodded, not having time to go through the interrogation while waiting impatiently for the cashier to ring him up.

"Lucky girl," Patty murmured while pulling out her cell phone. Something was up, and she was going to find out what that something was.

_CrapShack_

"Okay," Lorelai said while motioning for Rory to push her arm through the sleeve. "Careful, careful."

Rory nodded while slowly getting her arm into her P.J's, having just gotten lotion spread over her skin to stop the itching.

"Lorelai!" Luke called from the front door.

"Hey, come in!"

"Mom," Rory panicked while looking down at her still almost half naked body.

"He's not just gonna walk in here, babe, relax," she said with a smile while carefully guiding Rory's other arm through the sleeve. Once that was done, she buttoned up the middle, reached for the pants, pulled them up, kissed her daughter's forehead, and then went to find Luke in the kitchen.

"Got a few things to stock up your fridge with," he said while moving to put the eggs away.

Lorelai frowned. "You didn't need to get all this."

Luke shrugged. "Just in case you can't make it out or order or anything, I got a few simple things you can make for her," he said while putting the orange juice away.

"Thanks," she said while moving to put the milk away.

"No, you go, I got this," he assured her.

"Yeah?"

"I'll see ya in a few hours," he said with a nod while rushing around the kitchen, trying to find a place for everything.

Lorelai nodded. She patted his arm, and then turned to call a goodbye to Rory.

After he heard the door close behind her, Luke took in a breath and said, "No big deal, just a few hours," he said quietly, and then went to put the last of the things away.

"Luke," a small voice called.

The man froze, his hand in mid air, reaching to put the ice tea mix away.

"I'm not dying or anything, I just need to talk to you for a second," she added after realizing that her mother warned her that he seemed nervous on the phone.

"Coming!" he called back while quickly shoving the canister into the cabinet.

"Yeah?" he asked just seconds later while popping into the doorway.

"Are you still mad at me?" she asked with big blue eyes and pouting lips.

Luke smiled at the girl, whose head was the only thing sticking out from the covers that were pulled to her chin.

"You know, cause of the chilly topped Pringles?" she asked.

Luke shook his head. "I know it was all your mother's doing, you just got dragged into it."

Rory shook her head. "They sound good," she said with a shrug.

"She's got you brain washed," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry you had to come here," Rory apologized. "I hate being sick."

Luke took the few steps to grab her desk chair and swing it around to the foot of the bed. "Better than flipping burgers all day," he said while sitting down.

"Oh, burger," Rory awed with wide eyes.

Luke sighed. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

The girl shook her head. "I'm not really hungry though. My tummy hurts," she said while pressing her hands to her stomach.

"Yeah, you haven't been eating like you normally do," he noted, realizing that for the past couple of days, her appetite hadn't been up to par. The two even left in the middle of dinner yesterday because Rory was complaining about her stomach. "Your throat hurt?" he asked.

Rory shook her head.

"It might soon," he said through a sigh. "I'm gonna give you some oatmeal, okay? I know you don't like it, but it'll go down your throat nice and easy. And it's good for you, especially since you're sick," he added, knowing that this Gilmore was more welcomed to reason, as opposed to her mother, who was stubborn as hell.

Rory nodded, knowing that he was right. Oatmeal would be good for her. Plus, she didn't have the energy to put up a fight.

"Be right back," he promised.

_XXX_

"Crap, crap, crap," Lorelai cursed while hoping off the bus with her sights set on the Inn that was just two blocks away. She was late. Six minutes to be exact. Ellen would have her head served on a silver platter.

_The Inn_

"… and I need everyone to give a hundred and ten percent or- Lorelai."

With her heels hanging from her hands and a look of panic on her face, Lorelai did what she could do best.

"Damn buses, huh? Sitting on one, stuck behind one- either way, they suck. Late, late, late, they can't get ya anywhere on time. They should have their own late or something, and bigger, they should be way bigger. No such thing as personal space on a bus, no sir-y Bob. Definitely not for the claustrophobic," she finished with a tired sigh.

Yup, Lorelai Gilmore was an excellent babbler. She could babble on with the best of 'em.

"Lorelai, what are you doing here?" Ellen asked with a forced smile.

The Gilmore's brows furrowed as she said, "Staff meeting," while gesturing to the full room. "You said be here, or be fired."

Ellen laughed while waving the woman off. "You do have sick days," she reminded the employee. "I was just kidding. But since you're here, have a seat."

Lorelai stayed frozen for a second, a part of her wanting to strangle the woman while another part of her wondered if Ellen had been body snatched. The woman never cracked a joke, especially not with her.

"Lorelai, any day now, we're not gettin' any younger here," Ellen said while jerking her chin at an empty seat.

"Sorry," she apologized before quickly sitting down and just as she did, James, the concierge, turned to whisper, "Talk about mood swings."

Lorleai nodded. "You said it."

_Crapshack_

Rory was in bed, her back leaning against the headboard as she looked down at the bowl of oatmeal in her lap.

Luke sighed while crossing his arms over his chest. The food had been sitting in her lap for over ten minutes now and she hadn't even reached to take one bite yet. Her lips, that were pouting, looked just so much like her mother's and her brows were quirked in concentration.

"This is your mom's fault."

Rory looked up and said, "What?"

"Have you even heard of a vegetable?"

"Yes," she said primly.

"There's too much junk in this house. You need fruit, vegetables, healthy cereal, not the five boxes of sugary crap and chocolate pop tarts. You need cornflakes or something."

"Ew."

"You can't live on leftovers and frozen pizza!"

"And that's why you feed us!" she said with a smile. "And cookies, we have cookies too," she added proudly.

With his elbows propped on his knees, Luke hung his head while reaching to adjust his cap.

A moment of silence passed before he looked up at her and said, "Give you five bucks if you eat it," he bargained.

Rory's eyes lit up. "Really?"

The man nodded.

"Can I complain while I eat?"

Luke shrugged. "Go ahead," he challenged.

Rory nodded and she looked down at the bowl. She then reached to grab the spoon and twirled the utensil around the mush that Luke called food. "I don't even wanna say what this looks like, "she murmured with a crinkled nose.

"Looks like food," Luke said sternly.

"Yeah, after it's been eaten," she finished.

Luke sighed. "Lunch should be fun."

_Independence Inn_

"Five minutes. Any later than that and you'll be locked out," Ellen cautioned after the staff as they filed out for a quick break.

Lorelai nodded absentmindedly while pulling her phone from her purse. She then punched in the familiar number and waited impatiently for someone to pick up.

"_Hello_," Luke answered while darting around the kitchen.

Lorelai frowned at all the noise. "Hey. Is everything okay?" she asked cautiously, fully prepared to leave right then if she had to.

"_Yeah. But guess I was stupid to think you'd have a potato peeler_."

Lorelai's frown turned to a relieved grin. "Yup, you were," she agreed.

Luke sighed while pushing closed the last draw he could find. "_I thought you said you've made Rory mashed potatoes before_."

"I have."

"_Then why am I not finding a peeler_?"

"Because we don't have one," Lorelai said easily.

Luke sighed in frustration. "_How_ _did you make them if you couldn't peel the potatoes_?"

"Why would I need to peel potatoes?"

"_Because you-Lorelai_," he warned.

The Gilmore giggled. "I bought that stuff in the box, you know, you cook it in a pot or whatever. Instant mashed potatoes," she said with a snap of her fingers. "And then after royally screwing them up, I called in a professional."

"_Sookie_?" he asked knowingly.

"Yup."

Luke slumped back against the counter while looking around the room, and for what, he wasn't sure. "_That stuff in the box is crap. When you get home, I'll show you how to make the real stuff_."

"Luke, if I screwed up fake mashed potatoes, what makes you think I'd be any better with real ones?" she asked with a smile.

"_And you need more oatmeal_," he went on.

"Oatmeal?" she questioned, like she had never heard the word before.

"_Yeah. Rory had some for breakfast and she actually finished the bowl_," he said proudly. "_She complained the whole way through, but I'm sure you'd do the same_," he said with a smirk.

"My little trooper," Lorelai gushed while pressing her hand to her heart.

"_Yeah, because oatmeal is dangerous and life threatening_," he said with a roll of the eyes.

Lorelai nodded solemnly. "Only a matter of time before the FDA proves it."

Luke sighed. "_You done with your meeting already_?"

"Nope. One hour of hell down, God knows how many more to go. Hopefully I'll be outta here by eleven or so."

"_Good. Stop by Dooses on your way home_?" he questioned. "_Potato peeler_?"

"Sure," Lorelai said with a nod.

"_Or you can go to the diner_," he realized. "_Key's up above the door. There's a peeler in the kitchen_."

"Okay, will do. I should get back. Rory doing okay?"

"_She's watching T.V. Oh, I moved that little T.V you had in the kitchen, to her room. That okay? She said it was_."

"Yeah, every now and then Teeny ends up in her room, especially when she's sick."

"_I feel like I should be more surprised that a grown woman named a television."_

"But it's me so you're not," Lorelai finished with a grin.

"_Nope_."

_Luke's Diner_

The moment she was able to, Lorelai left the Inn to find herself waiting not so patiently for a bus to come. She wasn't in the mood to walk and even though the half hour spent waiting for the bus could have been used to walk for free, she opted to wait. She got stuck walking about every morning because the bus schedule didn't mesh with hers and so she thought she'd give herself a break today.

"Thank you," Lorelai called over her shoulder.

"You're welcome. Have a nice day, Miss," the bus driver called.

After hopping down the steps, Lorelai made her way over to the closed diner.

"Now if I just knew what a potato peeler looked like," she murmured through a sigh before reaching up for the key. After finding it, she quickly unlocked the door and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"I'm behind the counter, I'm behind the counter," she cheered in a sing song voice after crossing Luke's haloed ground.

Once her gloating was through, Lorelai opened the draw Luke told her to and her eyes fell at all the utensils. More than half, she didn't know what they were used for or what they were even called, but she managed to grab the one that looked the most like it could peel things.

With the tool in hand, she hurried around the kitchen, through the diner and straight for the door. But then she stopped. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes were drawn to the curtain. She was curious, she couldn't help it. Luke had been so hush, hush about his place, almost cringing whenever she mentioned it. And he never invited her up or anything, no one seemed to know much about the place. But now here she was. Alone. With the keys in her hand.

_Ring! Ring!_

Lorelai jumped at the sudden sound, pressing her hand to her heart as she turned to hurry outta there, taking the ringing phone as a sign to not even go near that curtain, much less the apartment.

_Crapshack_

"Mommy's home!" Lorleai announced while entering the house.

Luke hurried from the kitchen and signaled for her to be quiet while waving her down the hall.

"She asleep?" Lorelai whispered.

Luke nodded. "Didn't want her to hear me banging around in here," he said while nudging his chin at the closed door.

"Dirty," Lorelai said through a giggle.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You get the peeler?"

"Oh, yeah," she said while turning to her purse. "At least I think it's a peeler. Everything looked the same," she complained through a pout while pulling the tool from her bag.

Luke smiled. "This is it," he said while taking it from her.

"Lucky guess."

"So how was work?" he asked while turning to the counter.

Lorelai shrugged. "Another boring meeting and the same old sexual harassment speech we get every year."

Luke nodded. "You ready to learn?" he asked.

"Learn what?"

"How to make mashed potatoes."

Lorelai frowned. "You were serious about that?"

"Yup. Now come on," he said while waving her over.

Lorelai winced as she shook her head.

"Food cooking thingies and I don't really mix well. Oil and water, ya know?"

"You'll just be peeling and mixing. Hard to mess that up."

"If you knew my track record, you'd disagree."

Luke sighed. "Just come here or you're getting decaf and I don't care how much you whine."

Lorelai's face fell further. "Not fair. You have a trump card."

"Wouldn't have this problem if you learned how to cook," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai sighed. "Fine, I'll learn," she gave in. "But mashed potatoes, that's it. I'm not going pro or anything."

"Got it," Luke said with a grin_. _

_XXX_

"I make damn good mashed potatoes if I do say so myself," Lorelai gloated after eating a spoonful.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You peeled one potato, got bored, had a snack, and then went inside to watch that stupid show."

"_Friends _is not stupid!" she defended.

"Then you come back in here, stir the bowl for five seconds and now you're eating _my_ mashed potatoes," he grumped.

"And they wouldn't be this creamy smooth if I wasn't here to stir them. And there'd be one less potato," she added proudly before digging into the big bowl for another spoonful.

Luke sighed while plopping down on the chair next to her. "Fine, you win," he gave in.

"All hale the queen of the potatoes!" Lorelai cheered triumphantly while throwing her fists into the air.

"Jeez." Luke muttered.

_XXX_

"Hey, hey, don't eat so fast, you're gonna get a belly ache," Luke cautioned.

"But they're so good," Rory said before taking another spoonful as she was sitting up in bed, watching T.V while having lunch. The girl had slept some of the morning and had just woken up.

"Yeah, save some for mommy," Lorelai said while walking through the room and plopping down on the bed next to her daughter.

"Don't tell Sookie, but these are better than hers," Rory whispered to her mom.

The older Gilmore laughed. "Secret's safe with me."

With a smile on her face, Rory turned to her food. "I hope you made more," she said, noting her nearly empty bowl.

Luke nodded. "Enough for the rest of the day," he assured her.

The girl's smiled widened. "Thank you," she said sweetly before going to dig in again.

Luke smiled. "You're welcome."

"Can I have this for dinner, too?" Rory asked through stuffed cheeks.

"Sure, babe," Lorelai said with a grin.

"Can Luke stay for dinner?" she asked.

"Oh, uh," Lorelai stuttered while looking up at him. She knew he had to go back to work.

"You like mashed potatoes, right?" she asked, her eyes going to Luke. "I mean, you know how to make them, so you have to like them, right?" she reasoned with that special Gilmore logic that she learned from her mom.

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, but I should get back to the diner. I already told Caser to come in," he said with a wince.

Rory nodded, her face fallen. "Are you coming back tomorrow?" she asked, hopeful. "You have to work, right, mom? Can Luke stay here with me?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Took the next couple of days off, babe."

"Can you still come?" Rory asked Luke while reaching for the book on her nightstand. "We never finished the chapter," she said with a frown.

"I can finish it," Lorelai offered.

"But the main character is a man and he tells the story. You sound like him," she complimented Luke. "I mean I know he isn't real, but you sound like what I think he would sound like," she said with a shrug. "You kinda look like him too."

The diner man grinned. "We can finish the chapter before I go."

"But what about the rest? There's still five chapters left," she argued with a pout.

Luke looked up at Lorelai and the mom nodded.

"I'll come by tomorrow," he promised.

"Thank you!" Rory said with a big smile while leaning up on her legs to hug Luke, the girl surprising both adults.

"You're, uh, you're welcome," Luke stumbled while patting her back.

"You know, I think you would be a good dad," she said over his shoulder. "You made me eat oatmeal," she said through a giggle.

"Thanks," the man said gruffly, his lips quirked to a grin.

Rory nodded while pulling away to lean back against the head board as her hand reached to spread the blanket back over her legs. She then picked up the bowel and refocused her attention back to the movie.

And then the only sounds that followed came from the movie on screen and Rory's spoon as it went across the bowl.

Minutes later, Rory asked for more and when Luke got up to refill her bowl, Lorelai quickly hopped up to go with him.

"So, you weren't expecting that, huh?"

"What?"

"The hug," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Oh. Yeah," Luke said while spooning more into the dish. "Didn't even do much with her, just watched T.V, read, made her eat oatmeal," he finished with a grin. "Thought she'd hate me for that."

Lorelai's smile widened. "She's pretty easy to please."

"Unlike her mother, huh?"

The Gilmore stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ya know, if you have to go in tomorrow, I can come back for the day," Luke offered.

"What about the diner?" she argued with a frown.

"Caesar will be there and I've been looking into hiring help. There's a kid from the high school who let me know that he wanted a job. I could call him, he'll probably come in tomorrow, take orders while Caesar cooks," he said with a shrug.

"You're sweet to offer, but I'll stay with her. Mama could use a day off," she said with a smile.

Luke nodded. "Right, of course, I'll just stop by for a while, finish that book, bring some food," he said with a shrug. "But if you change your mind or something,"

"I know your number."

"Yeah," Luke agreed with a smile.

Lorelai sighed as her lips curled further. He was giving her that look again- that dangerous, mysterious look that was full of just too many questions.

"So, um, you were gonna read something, right? That book with the guy?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Luke agreed, their gazes breaking.

"Mind if I run up and take a quick shower?"

Luke shook his head. "No, go ahead."

"Thanks. I'll just be ten minutes," she said before hurrying upstairs.

Luke released a breath before turning to Rory's room.

_To be continued…_

Please **REVIEW!!!**


	16. Oh Boy

**Warning! M-ish scene!**

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Sixteen: Oh Boy**

"You know, if you have to go in tomorrow, I can come back for the day," Luke offered.

"What about the diner?" she argued with a frown.

"Caesar will be there and I've been looking into hiring help, anyway. There's a kid from the high school who let me know that he wanted a job. I could call him, he'll probably come in tomorrow, take orders while Caesar cooks," he said with a shrug.

"You're sweet to offer, but I'll stay with her. Mama could use a day off," Lorelai said with a smile.

Luke nodded. "Right, of course; I'll just stop by for a while, finish that book, bring some food," he said with a shrug. "But if you change your mind or something,"

"I know your number."

"Yeah," Luke agreed with a smile.

Lorelai sighed as her lips curled further. He was giving her that look again- that dangerous, mysterious look that was full of just too many questions.

"So, um, you were gonna read something, right? That book with the guy?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Luke agreed, their gazes breaking.

"Mind if I run up and take a quick shower?"

Luke shook his head. "No, go ahead."

"Thanks. I'll be quick," she said before hurrying upstairs.

Luke released a breath before turning to Rory's room.

Just as Lorelai made it to the second floor, the phone rang.

"Rory, can you get that!" she shouted before turning to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the young Gilmore frowned after not finding the phone within reaching distance.

"Luke, can you get that?" she asked sweetly, using her mother's persuasive smile .

The man smirked while standing up to swipe the phone from the girl's dresser.

"Hello."

"_Oh, uh, sorry, I must have the wrong number," _the voice apologized before hanging up_. _

Luke pulled the cordless away from his ear, a frown on his face.

"Who was it?"

"I don't know," the man said while plopping back down on the desk chair. "Said he had the wrong number."

"Oh," Rory said with a careless shrug before turning back to the T.V.

And then seconds later, the phone rang again.

"Luke?" Rory murmured without taking her eyes from the screen.

The man answered the phone with a quick, "Hello?" while adding question to the word.

There was silence on the other end, but only for a minute before the voice said, _"Oh, I think I- This isn't, uh- is Lorelai there?"_ he asked abruptly, thinking he dialed wrong again, but confused as to how he could have done it twice in a row.

"Who is this?" Luke asked, not wanting to tell a possible stranger that Lorelai was in the shower... for some reason...

"_Who is THIS?_" the guy challenged right back.

The confusion on Luke's face grew as he tried to place the voice, but came up empty.

"_What, are you her boyfriend or something? She didn't tell me she was seeing anyone,"_ the man grumped.

"Who is this?" Luke asked again, this time his tone demanding.

The sudden harsh voice caught Rory's attention and she turned to look at Luke with furrowed brows.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"_I'm Rory's dad... she did tell you she has a kid, right? WE have a kid," _he emphaized.

Luke pulled the phone from his ear and reached to hand it to Rory while mouthing 'your dad'.

The 12 year old's eyes lite up like a Christmas tree and she all but yanked the phone from Luke's grasp, eager to talk to her father.

"Hey, dad!" she exclaimed.

Luke sighed while rising to his feet, wanting to give the girl some privacy. He then wondered into the kitchen and having nothing else to do for the moment, decided to take a look around. Something had to be broken and hopefully he'd have the tools to fix it.

The two talked for nearly a half hour and hung up just mintues before Lorelai came wondering downstairs, her damp hair up in a loose bun, the Gilmore not in the mood to spend twenty minutes with the blow dryer. She rounded the staircase, turned down the hall, into the kitchen and frowned at the site of Luke lying on her kitchen floor, tools surrounding him as he looked to be fixing something under the sink.

"Hey."

Apparently she surprised him because she heard a bang and seconds later and not so happy Luke surfaced from the cabinets.

"Sorry," she apolgoized with a wince, "You okay?"

Luke nodded while rubbing the top of his head. "The pipe was leaking, thought I'd fix it," he explained while using his other hand to reach for another tool.

"It was?" Lorelai asked with furrowed brows.

"Yeah," Luke said, "Nothing big, just some water driping," he explained with a shrug.

"Oh," Lorelai said while watching as he went through his tool box. "You want some ice? For your head," she verified as an after thought.

"No, it's fine," he waved off before pulling out another tool, and it seemed to be the one he was looking for since after finding it, he disappeared under the sink again.

"So you guys finish the chapter?" she asked

"Oh, no, her dad called so she's been on the phone with him. At least I think she still is."

"Chris called?" Lorelai asked, not at all surprised.

"Yeah."

"Right on schedule," she said with a sigh while plopping down on a kitchen chair, watching as he tinkered with her sink.

"What? I thought you said he barely calls."

"He hardly does, but this is his pattern," she started while leaning her chin on her hand."He'll call soon after he's seen her, after he's made all these promises, and right before they hang up, he'll swear this time will be different. He'll promise to call more and visit, but he never does. Then, whatever holdiay he shows up to next, he'll apologize for the lack of contact, give her a present, tell her all these crazy road stories and all is forgotten until the next let down. And then I'm left with a heartbroken daughter and no way to fix it. He just rides around without a care in the world, thinking its okay to be a part time dad- no, you know what, he's not even that. Because a part time dad would fight for weekends. A part time dad would help pay for things. A part time dad would call everyday. A part time dad would at least be around, sometimes, and he can't even do that," Lorelai complained while folding her arms over the table and laying her head down.

Luke pushed away from the sink, got to his legs and pulled out a chair next to her. "I'm not really good with saying the right thing- you know, trying to comfort someone, not my strong point," he explained softly while looking down to find one of her blue eyes peaking up at him. "I, uh... well, I don't have a kid, but if I did, I'd be around. They kinda freak me out sometimes, I mean they're always getting into things, always making a mess and seems like they always have something sticky on their hands- jam or something and while I'm perfectly happy going an entire day without having to deal with somebody else's bodily functions, I'd still be there," he said sincerely. "He wants to waste time without her, then it's his loss," Luke said with shrug. "He's missing a great kid and that's just too bad for him, but I think as long as she has you, she'll be okay. You're a great mom, Lorelai. I mean you're doing this by yourself and while I wish you would change your eating habits, eat a vegtable every now and then, lay off the coffee, you're just... well, you're amazing," he said, giving a little too much emotion to the sentiment, but he didn't care. He wanted her to know.

Lorelai blinked in surprise while sitting up. Her curious gaze was on him as she wondered what exactly he meant by that. Was it just a compliment? Nothing more? Seemed like he meant something more. But then he looked away, and she wasn't sure.

"I should get back," he said while pointing to the door, taking her silence as a cue to go.

Lorelai nodded, knowing he had the diner to run, but still wondering what those words meant. Seemed like there was a little something tagged on there. She rationlized that there had to be _something_. Even something small. The way he sometimes looked at her... well, she wasn't blind, she could see _something_ there, but she always ignored it, pushed it away, not wanting to even go down that road. Things were good, and she wanted them to stay that way. She didn't want things to get complicated. And with the growing relationship he seemed to be building with her kid, she didn't want to risk harming that. It was too dangerous to even think about it for more than a second.

"Tell Rory I'll see her tomorrow," he said while standing up, jarring her from her thoughts.

"Okay," she said distractedly, trying to keep her mind from analzying the situation any further, but failing miserably.

Luke bent to get his toolbox, looked back at Lorelai for a breif second, then turned down the hall.

The door opening snapped her from her daze and quicky Lorelai darted from her chair. "Luke, wait!" she called while hurrying for the door.

The man stopped, turning away from the porch to ask, "Yeah?"

"Thank you. You know, what you said before, I just- well, thank you," she finished lamely.

Luke nodded. "See ya, Lorelai," he said before turning to the stairs.

Once he was gone, Lorelai blew out a breath. She then leaned back agianst the door and her eyes fell closed as she wondered what just happened.

_Later on_

It was late. Most of the world was probably asleep, but Lorelai Gilmore was one of the few who couldn't. She lay next to her daughter, both in her bed and it was like her mind was on repeat. She couldn't stop the words from replaying again and again. She kept hearing it over and over- all those things Luke said about Chris and vegetables and jam hands. _"you're just... well, you're amazing." -_five little words, five simple words, but they stuck out the most. He called her amazing. And he did it with a different tone. She would swear he meant something more by it, something more than just trying to comfort her, make her feel better about her crappy ex. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it meant something. And everytime she replayed the words in her mind, what immediately followed was a flashback of one of those time. A time when he looked at her differently. One of those moments when he looked at her like... well, like he wanted her. She was a woman, she was good at spotting these things. He wanted her and he thought she was amazing. That pretty much summed it up.

"Oh, boy," Lorelai whispered.

And oh boy was right. If only Lorelai had a crystal ball, then she'd know how big of an oh boy it really was.

Meanwhile, back at the diner, Luke was lying awake in bed, wondering when he'd grow some balls and get the guts to tell her. Hes wanted to say something for weeks now. Months, maybe. He felt a little something the moment he saw her and that little spark has grown bigger and bigger with every passing day. It was starting to be hard for him to even be around her without thinking about it. Without thinking about touching her, holding her hand, wrapping his arms around, kissing her... all the things he wanted to do, but couldn't.

"Maybe tomorrow," he muttered through a sigh before turning over, determined to get some sleep.

XXX

_Knock! Knock!_

"You do know you can just come in!" Lorelai shouted while hurrying to the door. "It's not like I didn't know you were coming!" Quickly she got there and a smile lit her face at the site of Luke through the glass. "Hey," she said after opening it.

"Hey," he said, a smile on his face as he held out a bag from Luke's, "brought breakfast."

"And coffee, you brought coffee?" Lorelai said while snatching the bag and quickly pulling it open to get a look at the contents.

"I learned my lesson the first time," the man said with a nod while showing her the cup in his other hand.

"Wise man," Lorelai said while turning to the kitchen.

Luke closed the front door before following after her. As he passed Rory's room, the door being open, he noticed the pre teen wasn't inside.

"Rory upstairs?"

Lorelai nodded and said, "sleeping in my bed," while turning to the counter to spread out the food.

Luke closed his eyes. He then took a deep breath, gathered his nerve and called her attention.

"Yeah?" she asked without turning to him while pulling out a stack of foiled covered pancakes.

He didn't know exactly how to put his feelings into words. He wanted to do it right, but he wasn't very good with expressing himself, though in that moment, he threw caution to the wind and quickly decided to take a leap of faith, and just like that, the words came tumbling out. "I love you," he confessed in a rush.

That caught the Gilmore's attention as her breakfast fell from her hands and she couldn't help but ask, "What?" trying to stall for time.

"I love you, Lorelai," he repeated, this time his voice a bit stronger as he took the few steps to get to her. "Can I show you how much?" he whispered from behind her. "Please, I need to show you how much," he begged, his voice strangled. He needed her to see.

She didn't dare look over her shoulder, but still, she wanted to know. "Yes," she whispered, her voice barely loud enough for either of them to hear, "show me."

Luke reached a tentative hand to her covered hip. He swayed his thumb back and forth, bunching the material of her hoodie.

Her heart was racing and his skin didn't even make contact with hers yet.

He nudged her sweater up, desperate to get to her milky skin, but being careful, taking things slow, wanting to remember every second.

Lorelai almost turned to look at him, the anticipation killing her, but she didn't. She closed her eyes instead, waiting impatiently for his touch.

Finally, he was able to spread his hand over her hip and the warmth radiating from her soft skin traveled to his palm in an instant, tingling every nerve in his body. He closed his eyes, taking it all in while quickly lifting his free hand to her other side, holding her in a gentle grip and pulling her to his body.

"Faster," Lorelai moaned while grinding her ass agianst his growing arousal, "show me faster," she demanded while taking his hand from her hip and laying it over her covered sex.

Luke's eyes widened in shock, like a kid in a candy store and one that couldn't help himself as he cuped her in his palm, rubbing the jeans that blocked him from getting to where he really desired.

Her head fell to his chest, just below his chin. "How long?" she wondered with closed eyes.

"What?" Luke asked, his tone low and dangerous, his lips just inches away from her cheek as his fingers pulled her zipper down ever so slowly.

"How long have you loved me?" she moaned while pushing her hips insistently.

Luke smiled. "Since the day I saw you."

Her eyes snapped open. Her body shot up. Her heart was running a marathon in her chest. She looked around, almost panicked and after getting a peak at the time, realized it was the middle of the night. Her gaze traveled to her left and her brows furrowed when she found her sleeping daughter next to her. And then she realized she was in her room. And quickly she recalled the previous day's event. Rory had the chicken pox, she had a meeting at the Inn, Luke came over to watch her daughter- Luke. Her thoughts stopped there and just like that, images from her dream flew through her mind. His breath washing over her cheek, his skin on hers, his hands cuping her-

"Oh my God," Lorelai muttered. She then looked down, almost wanting to see if her dream had affected her body, but thought better of it, and not only because her daughter was just inches away from her, but because of the temptation she knew would come if she was indeed wet. But if it was anything, she thought, it wasn't extreme where she was dripping wet, nothing she could _really_ feel without touch. And so she let it go, having to fight to do so, but keeping her hands planted on either side of her body. But her chest was heaving, her heart pumping fast, her thoughts shocked, and her dream still alive and well in her mind. Oh boy.

Oh yeah, oh boy was right. But that wasn't THE oh boy. No, THE oh boy wasn't here, not yet. THE oh boy was waiting for its moment. THE oh boy wanted to unite two people. THE oh boy wanted to set the spark on fire. And THE oh boy was ready. Oh, was it ready.

_To be Continued..._

I**'m so sorry for the long wait, but I've just recently wrapped up a story so I think I'll be able to juggle things easier from now on and these long waits between updates shouldn't happen anymore. Anyway, I know this was a little shorter than we're all acustomed to, but I really felt like this was a good place to stop. I've got the next chapter going so the sort of cliffy won't remain for long. And to wrap this up, I say thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, and I'd love some reviews!!!! **


	17. Who The Hell Puts Mistletoe There?

**Author's Note-**

_It's been forever, I know. I suck. But hopefully the chapter will make up for my crappy time management skills. But before you scroll on down to read, I want to thank **Wilara, Freakytiky, Lisaluvsfox22, cywen69, That Don't Make me a Bad Guy, sarahb2007, lorlukealways, calleighsthebest, Lizzy likes the hot guy, **and** Gilmoregirl19, **for reviewing the last chapter. I love all your comments, they keep me going with this, so I would love if you all keep em coming, :D. _

_And on with the show. _

_Enjoy. _

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Seventeen: Who The Hell Puts Mistletoe There?**

_Crapshack_

Lorelai hopped down the stairs, a thermometer hanging from one hand and her purse hanging from the other. She, along with her mini me, were hoping today would bring the lucky number. The magic number. The number that rang- no, _screamed_ freedom.

"Open."

Rory looked up from where she sat at the kitchen table while opening her mouth to be checked, a routine they went through every morning, from the day she woke up with the chicken poxs. They both waited impatiently for the thermometer to make up its mind and finally, a moment later, Lorelai couldn't stand the anticipation anymore and pulled it out the very second it was possible.

Lorelai winced and said, "Oh, I can't look," while holding the device up in the air.

"Gimme." Rory swiped it from her mom's hand and quickly looked down at the number. "98.6!" she exclaimed.

"Yes!" Lorelai cheered.

"This is the third day; we can go out, right?" Rory asked anxiously, looking up at her mom with hopeful blue eyes.

"Hoyeah! Come rain, sleet or snow, we're going!" she shouted. "And I've got the whole day planned."

"Oh, what's the plan?" Rory asked excitedly.

"Okay, um..." Lorelai started while turning to grab the stack of post- its from the counter. "Okay, first, breakfast at _Luke's,"_

"Yeah, his eggs dont taste the same here," she said with a frown.

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "After that, we hit up all the good dollar stores from here to Litchfeild, then head back to Stars Hollow, catch a late matinee at _BWR_, make paper airplanes to throw up at Lane's window,"

"I can't beleive she's still grounded," Rory grumped.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman lied to," Lorelai warned, giving her daughter a look.

"I know, I know, lesson learned."

Lorelai grinned while looking back to the list. "Kay, after that, lunch on the go so I thought we'd grab some _JoJo's_."

"On the go where?"

"The mall. Thought we'd get some new Christmas decorations. You know, just a few ornaments, maybe some lights. Just keep adding a little like we do every year" she said with a shrug. She didn't really have the money to buy all new things every Christmas.

"We still need trees," Rory reminded her mom.

Lorelai nodded. "Still have a couple of days, and hey, the closer to the big day, the better the deal," she said with a big grin.

Rory sighed. "Last time you tried to haggle, we ended up paying double the price."

Lorelai shrugged. "Yeah, well, they didn't offer haggling 101 when I was in highschool, so I wasn't prepared. And besides, the guy used guilt, he played dirty. He went on and on about helping the less fortunate and food and clothes and have some holiday spirit, have a heart, yada, yada..." she trailed with a roll of the eyes. "Half the proceeds go to the poor, my ass," she muttered.

"Mom," Rory warned.

"Rory," she mocked.

The young Gilmore sighed while spreading her arms out on the table and laying her head down. She then looked up at her mom and motioned for her to continue on with the plan.

"Oh, right," Lorelai said while returning her attention to the next post-it. "Kay, after we hunt and gather, we'll head back here and put up all the outside decorations. I roped a big, tall diner man into helping out so I won't have to climb that scary ladder again."

"Yeah, you almost fell last time," Rory pointed out through her giggles.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Well, _someone_ wasn't holding the ladder steady like I told her to."

"I got distracted," she said with a shrug.

"It wasn't like the mail man walking up our drive was something you've never seen before. He comes everyday- same time, everyday. It wasn't a big shock to see him."

"Well, he was carrying the book I bought, and Amazon said they were back ordered for weeks, so yes, it was a big shock," she said before sticking her tongue out.

"Read-oholic," Lorelai muttered.

"Caffene-addict!"

"Teachers pet!"

"Junk food junkie!"

"So are you!"

"You were first!"

"And I'm so proud that you, my darling little seed, are learning my ways and wisedom, thereby knowing that leftover take out makes a perfectly good breakfast, pizza should be its own food group, theres no such thing as too much chocolate, and any movie is viewable because the mockability factor is endless." Lorelai gushed with her hand pressed over her heart. She took a dramatic breath before continuing her serious tone to say, "the list goes on, but I'll stop there, for with every new day, comes a new lesson."

Rory laughed while putting her head back down on her arms. "After decorations?" she asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "We blast the Monkey's greatest hits and dance around in our underwear?"

"We did that two days ago."

"Well, it was a day of celebrating. That was the day the chicken pox left running and screaming as they begged for mercy," she said with an evil grin.

Rory smiled before saying, "I thought you had the whole day planned."

"Yeah, me too," Lorelai said with furrowed brows while flipping to the next post- it, but again, it came up blank. "I must have fallen asleep before I could finish."

"We'll go tree shopping," Rory decided for them while standing up. "I'm going to read up on haggeling; you get dressed."

"Yes, mom," Lorelai said with a grin while turning away from the kitchen. "Maybe they have a haggeling for dummies book!"

_Luke's_

"And ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Rory Gilmore, defending champion of the chicken pox! And look, not a scratch on her!" she cheered while holding the girl's arms up in the air. "Not one scar! Not a spot in site! Just perfect skin from head to toe! Go Rory! Go Rory! Go Rory!"

"Yeah, go Rory!" Kirk shouted from the counter.

"You go, sugah!" Babette boosted.

The rest of the diner quickly took part in congratulating the girl and letting the young Gilmore know they were relieved she was okay. And just when Patty was giving Rory a hug, Luke popped out from the curtain and frowned at the scene.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Lorelai while hurrying around the counter.

"Came for the love," Lorelai said with a shrug. "And this could just be a nasty rumor, but theres talk of a mysterious beverage. It's supposedly served in a mug with milk and sugar and there's tale it has the power to make you peppy. Now, maybe its just a myth, but I hear you found a way to harvest this magical drink and you're oh so kind to serve it at a bargain price," Lorelai said while reaching for her purse to pull out some money. "And I'm prepared to double the asking price in exchange for a lecture free morning," she bartered with a big grin.

Luke rolled his eyes while whacking her hand away. "Shouldn't you be home?"

"I dont know. Should I be?"

Luke sighed. "Rory."

"What about her?"

"She had the chicken pox..." he trailed, thinking his train of thought was obvious.

"Yes, _had _being the operative word," Lorelai pointed out with a smile while turning to watch as the girl in question traveled across the room, accepting hugs and kisses from her family.

"But its winter."

"Very good, Luke. Now can you tell me what special holiday happens in the winter? If you do, you get a pretty star and a pretty star means you get a cookie. Mmmm, cookie," she tried to entice while rubbing circles over her belly.

Luke's head fell while he put his hands on his hips. "You're impossible."

"I'm delightful," she said with a smile.

"I just don't want her getting sick again," he murmurred

Lorelai nodded while patting the man's arm and Luke looked up at her as she said, "I know, but it's been a couple of mornings now that she's been okay and we were both dying to get outta the house," the Gilmore explained. "And we've got some Christmas shopping to do so I thought today would be good. I'm running outta time to get a tree."

Luke nodded while moving to round the counter. "Your usual heart- attack-waiting-to-happen-on-a-plate?"

"Yup, and add a little extra attack. May as well go out with a bang," she teased with a grin.

"One day," Luke muttered under his breath while turning to the kitchen.

Once he was gone, Lorelai blew out a breath she didnt realize she'd been holding. There's been a sorta weird, but not so weird, just a little eh, kinda thing going on between them. Ever since that dream and the whole 'your amazing' ordeal, theres been this thing. A small thing. Really, a thinglet. Maybe even smaller than that, but since the whatever kinda thing it was, started, she's been feeling like she's standing on the edge of a cliff whenever she's around him. She feels like there's a bomb waiting to be dropped. Like anyday now he's going to confess his undying devoation for her- well, maybe not undying, but there was some type of devoation there, and she wasn't sure what she would do should the big secret, but not so big secret- secret, be spilled. Things were complicated to say the least, but to put it simply, she was scared. Very, very scared.

See, words had the power to change a lot, and sometimes actions had even more. Together, they pack a one-two punch, but even on their own they've got quite the kick. Luke seemed to be good with the actions thing, he's proven that. He's been there for her, for Rory, and just going above and beyond the call of duty. Lorelai knew she was doomed if he was a whiz with the words too. She already got a glimpse from his 'your amazing' speech. He seemed to be pretty good with the verbal, though he only showed off his skills every now and then. She was learning he was more of an action kinda guy, but she knew she was in big trouble if he pulled out the words, those forbidden words. Big, big trouble.

"Hey, did you order?" Rory asked, jarring Lorelai from her thoughts.

The Gilmore smiled for her daughter. "Yup, just waiting for Luke."

Rory nodded while sliding onto a stool. "I hope he cooks fast. I'm hungry."

Lorelai nodded while turning to the kitchen. "Yeah, me too." Her tummy was growling, she wanted food, but what she hoped Luke would take his time with- a long, long time- were the words. The words could change everything, And she knew that change wasn't always so good.

Meanwhile, in front of the grill stood Luke, the man keeping a watchful eye on the girls eggs and pancakes while mentally scolding himself for yet again, putting it off. Though of course, he knew his diner wasnt the ideal setting for 'the talk', he also knew there was an empty apartment above his head which would have done just fine.

He wanted to tell her, he needed to tell her, but he couldn't. Not yet. He needed to know if he had a shot in hell, but how to find that out, he simply wasn't sure. And so there he remain, on the opposite side of that fine, fine line. Not even one foot on it, not yet.

Later, after going store to store, buying up useless, but cheap crap from the best dollar stores in nearby Conn, Lorelai and Rory found themselves running through their house, going room to room, shelf to shelf, grabbing sidewalk fuel and a stack of paper, along with a handful of markers before flying out the door and heading to BWR for an afternoon showing of _Footloose. _Lorelai was hoping a good dose of Kevin Bacon would get her mind away from the Luke weirdness.

"How do you make a paper airplane?" Lorelai whispered

Rory shrugged while looking down at the paper with furrowed brows.

"Shouldn't paper airplane making be the first thing they teach you in Brownies?"

She shook her head. "First thing Taylor taught us was how to glue rocks together."

"Rip."

"Yup."

Lorelai sighed while putting the paper down next to her on Big Red then looking back up at the movie.

Minutes later, just when the older Gilmore managed to steer her mind away from Luke, her mini me brought up the subject.

"Hey, maybe Luke knows how," she suggested in a whisper.

Lorelai nodded. "Maybe."

"So we'll stop there after?"

"Sure."

"Good," Rory said with a smile before looking up at the projector screen. And Lorelai's eyes followed, her mind starting the distracting process all over again.

When the movie ended, the girls were on their way to the diner when they passed Sookie's and Rory realized they were still sans car. They had plans to find some Christmas tress today, but needed something with four wheels to lug it back.

"I think its her day off," Lorelai said as they walked up the path to the house.

Rory peaked around the side and her face fell when she found there wasn't a car in the drive.

"She's not home."

Lorelai stopped before her hand reached to knock on the door. "Damn."

"Well, maybe Luke can come," Rory suggested while swinging back around to the front. "He has that big truck, a couple of trees would probaly fit in there. We need one for the living room, the kitchen, and mini ones for our rooms," she listed with a big smile. "That way we wouldn't get tree needle things all over the back of Sookie's car again."

"Babe, Luke's working."

"Yeah, but Casear's there, maybe he can get away for a little way. And hey, maybe he needs some Christmas stuff too. There's no lights or anything in the diner and we could all go shopping together!" she exclaimed, growing excited by the thought of being out with her mom and Luke. While she was sick, even though her mom was home, Luke came by a lot too and really acted like a dad towards her. They were kinda like a family for the time being.A weird, unique family. Luke would cook dinner there some nights, he and her mom would take turns reading to her, they would watch movies together, play board games, cards... she had fun having him around, being with her mom and Luke. And so of course she was happy with the thought of them going out together.

Lorelai frowned, "Rory, I don't know, he seemed busy this morning," she said while shaking her head at the idea.

"But its the afternoon, things always slow down before lunch."

"Yes, but."

"Come on, I'll ask him," the girl said before taking off down the block. And Lorelai had no choice but to follow her.

_The Mall_

Needles to say, after demonstrating the art of paper airplane making, Luke agreed to go. He couldn't refuse Rory's asking voice and excited blue eyes. They were her mother's eyes. And she seemed to have a pretty good handle on the Gilmore pout, too, so there was no way he could say no, even if he wanted to.

Although part of him was a little iffy about the whole thing, being around Lorelai. He's been getting nervous around her, antsy. He wants to say something, tell her how he feels, but he's always chickened out, and things just get a little uncomfortable. But regardless, he said yes and soon after, the three found themselves at the mall, circling around for a spot. The mall was the first stop, then of course, tree shopping.

"They got some nerve charging for parking," Luke grumped while looking back and forth as he drove slowy through the lot.

"Yeah, lots and lots of nerve," Lorelai agreed.

"I mean isnt it enough that we're paying to buy the crap in there, but they have to get ya for more money just to leave your damn car somewhere, so you _can _buy their crap," he complained.

"Some seta balls on them, huh."

"Lorelai."

Rory giggled from between the two adults while keeping her eyes open for an empty spot.

"Everything in there is overpriced, they charge an arm and leg for parking, so why the hell do they underpay employees?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Beats me."

Luke sighed while turning around to the next lane.

"There's a spot!" Rory exclaimed while pointing out the window.

Luke quickly claimed the empty spot and once the truck was parked, they hopped out. But unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, something stopped them.

"Oops," Rory cringed while looking at the car next to Luke's truck.

Lorelai backed up while Luke swung around to their side and his face fell when he noticed a scratch on the jeep just inches from his truck. Apparently the owner of the car didn't know how to park, the car favoring one side, going over the designated line.

"I should've held the door," Lorelai said while motioning for her daughter to clear the space so she could get a look at the damage.

"It's not too bad," Luke waved off. "I'll leave a note. Some paint should fix it," the man said with a shrug while sliding back into the car to dig for a pen and paper.

"I got a post-it," Lorelai offered while pulling a stack from her purse. "I just need a pen," she said after not finding one in her bag.

"Got it," Luke said a moment later before popping out with a pencil.

"Kay, gimme. I'll leave my number."

Luke shook his head. "Write mine."

"No, Luke, it's my fault the scratch is there, so I'll pay," she insisted.

"Um, mom,"

"But it's my car," he countered.

"Yes, but it was at the hands of my daughter."

"But I parked here."

"Mom, come here,"

"But I'm the reason we're here. I wanted to go shopping."

"And I agreed to take you. You're not writing your number."

"Yes I am."

"Lorelai."

"It's for sale!"

Both adults turned to look at Rory, their faces etched with confusion.

"What is?" Lorelai asked.

Rory pointed to the for sale sign in the window of the car. "It looks like the car we saw a few months ago, remember?"

Lorelai nodded while circling the car, wondering if it was indeed the _same_ car, but knowing that odds are, it wasn't. There were a lot of sand colored jeeps out there. More than one, that she was sure of. It probably wasn't the car they saw on the lot, but it was its twin. And it was for sale.

Both girls had their hearts set on that jeep from the moment they saw it, but after discovering that the salesmen was a jerk, there was just bad feelings there, even towards the poor, innocent car. Who knew, maybe this one was better- thats what Lorelai thought.

"I'm leaving my number," she decided before scribbling down the digits and putting the sticky paper on the windsheild. "Let's go."

_December 24th_

_Crapshack_

Lorelai was pacing around the living room, her eyes darting to the phone every five seconds.

"Mom, its Christmas Eve, they're not gonna call today," Rory said in passing, on her way upstairs to the good bathroom.

Lorelai sighed. Unless they were Jewish or something, her daughter was probably right. The owner of that Jeep wouldn't call today. But then she wondered why they didnt call yesterday, or the day before, when it happened. She complained about the situation to Sookie the other day and the chef reasoned that since the car was for sale, maybe they just didn't care enough to call. Maybe the scratch wasn't so bad and it wasn't worth it for them. Lorelai agreed, though she wasn't happy about it and realized she should have put more info on that tiny post-it. She should have written something like 'I WANT YOUR CAR!' in big, bold letters. That was probably worth the effort of a call. But it was too late.

"Okay, I'm ready," Rory said a moment later as she came hoping down the stairs in her pretty new party dress that they picked up the other day for the Christmas shindig at Patty's.

Lorelai nodded while grabbing her purse as her mini me reached to turn the radio off. She swiped her keys, took a quick glance in the mirror, and one last check at the phone before heading off to the party with a frown on her face .

_Patty's_

It was a nice night. Cold, but nice as big, powder white flakes fell from the sky. It was the perfect setting for a winter walk and of course, that was the route the girls chose to get to the festivities. Really, though, their options were limited anyway, so it wasn't much of a choice. Sookie wasn't going. She was home with her mom. Odds were this Christmas would be the woman's last and the chef wanted to be there. Mia wasn't in town. And really, they only lived a few blocks away. They usually walk anyway, even if a ride is possible.

"Oh, man, I wanted some hot chocolate," Rory said with a pout.

"What?"

"The diner's closed."

Lorelai looked up and saw that the lights were out and the closed was flipped forward.

"You think he's at the party?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shook her head, knowing how he felt about these things, especially with what happened during Thanksgiving. "He's probably gonna sit this one out, babe," Lorelai said while putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder as they passed the diner.

Rory nodded. She didn't know every little detail, but she knew enough to know her mom was probably right.

In minutes they reached the Christmas party and even after arriving not five minutes late, everything was in full swing. People were crowded inside the dance studio, music was playing, food and punch were going around, and decorations filled the room. Patty's parties were always a smash.

"Hey, Lorelai," Kirk said while approaching her.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

"See this?" he asked while pointing to his pants.

Lorelai looked down and she couldn't help but laugh at what was stuck to his pants.

"Mistletoe, baby," he said proudly while patting what was taped over his crotch. "And since its Christmas, we have to share a kiss."

"Kirk," a voice growled from behind them.

Both heads turned and Lorelai's brows furrowed at Luke.

"Hey," she said, her voice showing that she was surprised to see him there.

"You want your head shoved in that punch bowl?"

"No," Kirk said, _his_ voice showing that he was scared as hell.

"Then move."

"Moving," Kirk said before scurying off.

Lorelai laughed. "Thanks for the save."

Luke nodded while moving forward, a tool box hanging from his hand.

"So don't take this the wrong way, but what are you doing here?" Lorelai asked while following him.

"Patty called. Table's broken," he explained.

"Oh."

"Yup."

"Stop!" A booming, scratchy voice yelled.

Lorelai and Luke stopped, confused looks on both their faces as in that same moment, the crowed took a few steps back, leaving the two adults standing alone in the middle of the room.

"Worked like a charm," Patty whispered.

Babette nodded eagerly. "Dollfaces, you might wanna look up."

And despite knowing better, both their eyes went north. And then all four widened.

"Patty," Lorelai's voice warned at the Mistletoe that was hanging from a ceiling light, right over their heads.

"The table isn't broken, is it?" Luke asked knowingly.

"Questions later, kissing now," Patty urged.

"Yeah, come on, we've been planning this thing for weeks," Gypsy said.

"Stupid, stupid town," Lorelai muttered under her breath.

"Mom?" Rory asked, having just come back from the bathroom to find everyone huddled around, looking at her mother and Luke.

"Not right now, sweetie, your mommy's busy," Patty said quietly.

"Kiss her!" a voice shouted from the crowed.

"Yeah, kiss her!"

Within seconds the whole room was shouting 'kiss her!' at the top of their lungs. That is, until Luke couldn't take it anymore. He took a step towards the girl in front of him, but she backed away.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" she asked, surprised that he was acutally gonna do this.

"Will you just stand still," he growled.

"But,"

And her thought ended there. Luke's lips touched hers and the second they did, the room quieted. Everyone watched with wide eyes as his big, strong hands warpped around her waist. Her arms circled around his neck and within seconds the two were taking the whole kissing thing to a level far beyond the requirments for mistletoe smooching. They were going at it until a sudden bang stopped them.

They jumped apart at the noise, their chests heaving and their lips swollen as they looked with furrowed brows for the source of the interruption.

"Honey, Rory," Patty said while pointing to the door that was left open.

Lorelai peaked around a few people to find her daughter's running body heading down the street.

_To be continued..._

**I would love some reviews! They make me happy, :D. **


	18. What it Means to be a Mom

**Author's Note-**

_Here it is,FINALLY! I know its been almost a month since the last chapter and I've been promising faster updates, but summer just isn't giving me the writing time I thought it would. Sigh. But good news, things are slowing down a bit and with the last chapter of 'Till it Feels Like Cheating' almost done, I'll only have two stories going, so those should be easier to manage and updates, hopefully, will come faster. _

_Oh, and I know there were some quesitons concerning Rory's reaction to the kiss, but all those should be answered by the end of the chapter. And if not, of course you're more than welcome to ask more. _

_Anyway, before we get to the story, I want to thank, **suusje32, I am obsessed, biancaruth, ggobsessed, lisaluvsfox22, cywen69, TheMaraudersaremyhomies, samvalasam, calleighsthebest, sarahb2007, Nix, That Don't Make me a Bad Guy, lorlukealways, Gilmoregirl19, Freakytiky, **and of course, my best bud, **Rover, **for the wonderful reviews. I appreciate the good feedback a whole lot and it means so much that you all took the time to share your thoughts. I encourage the sharing to continue, :). _

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Eighteen: What it Means to be a Mom **

"Whoa, what are you doing?" she asked, surprised that he was actually gonna do this.

"Will you just stand still," he growled.

"But,"

And her thought ended there. Luke's lips touched hers and the second they did, the room quieted. Everyone watched with wide eyes as his big, strong hands wrapped around her small waist. Her arms circled around his neck and within seconds the two were taking the whole kissing thing to a level far beyond the requirments for mistletoe smooching. They were going at it until a sudden bang stopped them.

They jumped apart at the noise, their chests heaving and their lips swollen as they looked with furrowed brows for the source of the interruption.

"Honey, Rory," Patty said while pointing to the door that was left open.

Lorelai peaked around a few people to find her daughter's running body heading down the street and just as fast, her eyes darted back to Luke. She shook her head, giving him an apologetic frown before turning to chase after Rory.

Luke wanted to yell for her to stop, don't go, but he didn't, he couldn't. She needed to go after Rory and while he knew the kiss was way better than he ever imagined, still, he was pissed as hell at the nuts who set the damn thing up.

Luke turned to glare at everyone and they all they took a step back, the words, 'I'm sorry, we made a bad move,'written across their guilty faces.

"Last time we leave Kirk in charge of checking with Rory," Babette's scratchy voice murmured.

"I heard that!" the man in questioned yelled.

"You're all idiots," Luke grumped before turning to leave.

_XXX_

Rory managed to stay a good two blocks ahead of Lorelai, ignoring her mother's calls and making it to the house before the older Gilmore could.

Rory ran up the porch and straight for the door, immediately seeking out the knob to push it open. Unfortunately though, it was locked and she didn't have a key. Lorelai did. Rory then darted to her window, but came up empty there too, after finding it was also locked.

Lorelai finally made it close to the house, her chest heaving as she came up the drive. Quickly, she spotted Rory, the girl sitting on the stoop, her body leaning agianst the door. Lorelai blew out a breath while mentally cursing herself for being so out of shape. Thank God for high metabolisms, thats all she knew.

"I don't wanna talk," Rory said without looking up. "Go back to the party."

Lorelai sighed while walking up the stairs. "Well, we need to talk," she said before plopping down next to Rory.

"You broke the rules," the young Gilmore accused, her voice small as she kept her eyes on her lap.

Lorelai's face fell before she said, "Honey, I didn't plan for this to happen."

"You kissed him."

"He kissed me!" she defended, though just after, she realized that was a lame argument. She didn't exactly push him away.

Rory shook her head while wrapping her arms around her legs and pulling them close to her chest. "You promised that you wouldn't date anymore, not for a long time. You promised they wouldn't come here, to _our_ house, that it would be seperate from me... you promised it would just be you and me," she finished, her voice sad.

Lorelai's frown fell further. "And that all still stands, babe. This doesn't change anything. What just happened... well, you know the town, their crazy. They set this whole thing up because they have this crazy idea that Luke has a thing for me. I wasn't in on it, I swear, Rory; I didn't know," she insisted helplessly.

And finally, Rory asked the question she's been dying to ask for months, but has always been too scared to even form the words aloud. "Do you like him?"

"Who?" she countered, stalling for time.

"Luke."

Her initial gut reaction was to say no. It was the response to the question every other time she was asked by everyone else, but now... well, maybe it was always a lie. Maybe she did like him. But she couldn't do it again, not right now, not to Rory, not anymore.

"I don't know," she said honestly.

"I think he likes you," Rory said in just above a whisper, like she was sharing a secret.

"Rory,"

"What about dad?" she asked abruptly.

Lorelai looked at her daughter, confused. "We talked about your dad. I thought you understood everything."

"I do, and you said he isn't grown up yet, that he isn't ready to be around a lot, but you also said you love him," she pointed out, using her mother's words as her best argument.

Lorelai shook her head. "I love him for giving me you, but I'm not _in_ love with him, sweets."

"Are you in love with Luke?" Rory challenged.

Lorelai sighed while burying her face in her hands and again answered, "I don't know."

"You can't date him," Rory pleaded, the words desperate. "What if you break up? Then I'll never see him again! Then we can never go back to Luke's!"

Lorelai's face melted at her daughter's outburst and she turned to look at her with a sympathetic smile. "It was just a kiss, honey, that's all. Nothing more. We're not gonna start dating."

Rory looked up at her mom with wide, hopeful blue eyes while holding out her pinky. "Promise?"

Lorelai took a breath before hooking her finger around her daughter's and saying, "I promise."

Meanwhile, at the diner, Luke was pacing back and forth in his tiny apartment, the phone clenched in one hand with his keys in the other. He was torn. Call? Go over there? Do nothing? Those were his options. He didn't like the third one. He needed to know what was going on, so waiting wasn't a choice. But call? Rory could pick up and the girl made it pretty clear just ten minutes ago that she wanted nothing to do with him right now. Going over there though? That seemed worse. He knew he probbaly shouldn't be in that house right now or anywhere near it, but he needed to see her, to talk to her. He needed to apologize, even though it wasn't his doing and he found nothing, absolutely nothing wrong with the kiss, he felt like whatever went wrong, it was his fault.

"Damn it," Luke growled while throwing the phone in the general direction of his bed. He was fustrated, to say the least.

After twenty or thirty more paces around the room, he couldn't take it anymore. He needed to do something.

_Crapshack_

Even though it wasn't late, the time only being after eight, the girls called it quits for the night. Neither of them were in the mood to go back to the party and having been used to her early night routine, what with being sick and all, Rory was ready for bed.

"I love you, sweets," Lorelai said with a smile while tucking her daughter in.

"Love you too," the young Gilmore murmured, ready to close her eyes as she got comfortable under the covers.

Lorelai kissed Rory's forehead before making sure the blanket was nice and tight, then she stood up to head for her own bed.

"Mom?" Rory called, stoping her before she could leave.

"Yeah, babe?"

"You and me against the world?"

Lorelai nodded. "You and me against the world."

Rory smiled at the words while closing her eyes and pulling her stuffed turkey close to her chest.

Lorelai dragged her feet up the stairs while trying to turn her brain off, trying to stop the thoughts from circling around her mind. And what she hated was that tonight wasn't the first time she's thought about Luke that way. This wasn't the first time her mind went somwhere it shouldn't have. But this time, try as she might, she just couldn't banish those thoughts away. She couldn't stop thinking about Luke, about his arms around her, his eyes locked with hers, his lips on her lips, on her skin... it was giving her chills that shot right through her bones.

"It never happened," she murmured through a sigh while climbing up the last step. "Never happened," she whispered, trying to convince herself.

The Gilmore reached her bedroom while fighting with her thoughts, but the voice quieted on its own when she heard a noise. Her body stilled for a moment, her eyes on her window with her ears waiting for the sound to come again. And then, a second later, it happened. A rock hit her window.

Now, if the rock had flown _through_ the window, breaking the glass into a million tiny pieces, she would have turned the other way, grabbed Rory and headed for the hills. Fight or flight, she would have choose flight. But this was a pebble tapping the window, barely making enough sound to be heard from across the room. Someone was clearly trying to get her attention- that she could say from experience. This wasn't the first time someone's tapped on her window.

Lorelai pushed the window open just as another rock went sailing past her, nearly missing her head as she managed to duck just in time.

From the lawn, Luke winced, hoping he didn't hit her and just as he was about to call her name, she sat up, and he blew out a relieved sigh.

"I'm that lousy of a kisser that you're throwing rocks at me," Lorelai grumped with a frown while standing back up.

"What?" Luke called, not able to hear her.

"What?"

Luke sighed. She couldn't hear him either and he didn't want to raise his voice.

Lorelai held up her index finger, signaling for him to wait a minute and Luke nodded just before she disapeared from sight.

The Gilmore crept carefully and quietly through her house, caustious not to wake Rory as she tip-toed across the floor. When she made it through the front door, she slipped out, leaving it open just a crack before wrapping her arms around her belly and heading down the porch.

"What are you doing here?"

Luke shrugged helplessly. "I needed to see you."

Lorelai took a breath while looking down at the ground. "Luke, about earlier,"

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly.

Her face turned confused. She wasn't expecting to hear that. "You're sorry?" she questioned while looking up at him.

"Those nutjubs think everything is their business; they don't know when to butt out," he said angrily while waving his arms behind him, at the town.

"But are you sorry it happened?" she askd carefully, but right after the wrods left her mouth, she mentally cursed herself. She shouldn't be asking those questions.

"Are you?" he challeneged.

"I asked you first."

Luke sighed while hanging his hands on his hips. "I didn't want it to happen like that," he confessed quilety without meeting her eyes.

And that was exactly why Lorelai should have kept her curiousity to herself. She was afraid of an answer ike that.

"Luke,"

"I'm not sorry it happened, Lorelai," he interrupted, wanting to make that clear. "I'm sorry for the way it happened, where it happened, but not that it happened."

Lorelai looked away from the man's blue eyes while tightening her arms around her stomach. "I have to be sorry, Luke," she said, a twinge of regret laced to her voice. "We have to be friends, thats it... what happened at Pattys, it can't happen again," she said softly.

Luke's face fell. He was afraid of this, afraid of rejection from her, that's why he held back for months before.

"I should go in," Lorelai said a moment later, her voice breaking through the silence.

Luke nodded while backing down the driveway.

"Bye," she whispered while turning for the house, but Luke didn't hear her.

He made it no more than eight feet before turning around and saying, "Lorelai, wait!"

Her body froze. She turned around, her face sad, sorry, when she met his eyes.

"Why can't it happen again?" he demanded. "Is it Rory or is it you?"

The Gilmore shook her head. "You saw her, Luke, she ran away. She doesn't want us dating, let alone kissing. She's scared."

"But what about you? What do _you_ want?" he pressed, needing to know the truth. "You don't kiss someone like that if you don't want it. I _know_ you want it. This isn't in my head," he insisted.

Lorelai shook the words away while crossing her arms over her chest. "It doesn't matter. Rory and I decide things together, we only do something if we both want to, but above that, she comes first. I can't- I won't do something she's uncomfortable with. I'm sorry, Luke," she apologized while turning to the house.

Luke watched her go, wanting to say something, but knowing she was right. Rory always came first. Never would she do anything that would make her daughter unhappy, he knew that. And even though he always admired the relationship the girls had and was glad to see how much she cared for her daughter, for the tiniest second, he wished she was selfish enough to ignore Rory's wishes. For the smallest amount of time, he prayed for her to just think about herself and her desires, that's it. But he knew that wasn't the Lorelai he fell for. She did things, _everything_, for one reason and that one reason was her daughter.

The door locked into place, jarring Luke from his thoughts and when he looked up and found he was alone, his face fell further. That was the end of that. The kiss would be a one time deal, nothing more. They would be friends, thats it. But there was a problem. He just wasn't sure, now knowing what he was missing, he wasn't sure if he could be _just _friends. He wanted more. He wanted so much more.

Meanwhile, inside, Lorelai wondered upstairs, more than ready to go to bed and put her mind to rest. When she reached her room, she stopped by her dresser, grabbing some pjs and tossing them on her bed. She then walked across the room, wanting to swipe her glasses and a book, but of course, the window was right there, right in the middle of her path. She peaked through the glass and managed to catch a glimpse of Luke, right before he disapeared around the bushes.

Later on that night, when most of Stars Hollow was sound asleep, two particular citizens were in the middle of some tossing and turning. Their eyes were closed, their bodies tucked under the covers and their minds in another place as they snoozed.

While the small town slept, somewhere miles and miles away, a woman was dozing off at an airport. She was tired, her body spent from days of nonstop working and more than ready to get some shut eye, to go off to dreamland, just like the fine people of Stars Hollow. And though it was daylight where she sat, she wished the cover of dark would fall and night would come. But night was busy filling the sky of another part of the world- her old world.

A voice broke through the speakers, but the woman barely heard a thing. Her flight leaving for another city, another country, was about to take off, and she wasn't on it. Her body was slipping, aching for sleep, and she just didn't hear that last call.

Minutes later, a plane was taking off for Japan, and she was still in that airport, dozing away on a plastic chair with her camera bag beside one leg, and her duffel back next to the other.

In less than an hour, the woman would wake up. At first, she would be disoriented, wondering where she was. But then she would glance at her watch, look up, peak out the window and realize she never left the airport. Panic would arrive over her missed flight and she would jump up and run to a plane, any plane leaving for Tokyo. She had an assignment, a less than importannt one, but it was still work. She loved her work. She loved to travel. She loved to see the world, thats why she was a photographer. She was great at capturing moments here, there and everywhere.

The red head would come away dissapointed mintues later after finding out the next open flight for Japan wouldn't leave for hours. She would then plop down on a empty seat and her eyes would wonder. They would manage to catch a glimpse of a sign with a familiar word. A plane leaving for the states in ten minutes.

The woman would make up her mind quickly, needing a break, needing rest, needing some simplicity, and needing to see him again.

The plane would take off on schedule and sitting there on the last empty seat would be that tired photographer, on her way back home.

The next morning was a quiet one in the crapshack.

Lorelai woke up early, earlier than usual, not able to fall back asleep after waking up at five in the morning. After ten minutes went by, she gave up the fight, tossing back the covers, sliding out of bed and going to the shower. She then wondered downstairs for her morning coffee at barely six in the morning. And she sat there for two hours, drinking cup after cup, her mind on repeat, playing back various scenes from the dreams that made her toss and turn last night. Dreams of the kiss, dreams of Luke leaving, dreams of them alone, in her bedroom, dreams of _him_ rejecting _her_... all those scenes and more playing in a jumbled up mess.

Rory popped out from her bedroom around eight, cow slippers on her feet and tweety bird pj's covering her body as she walked through the kitchen while rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. And at first, the young Gilmore didn't see her mother sitting there, starring off into space, but after turning away from the toaster, having slipped a few poptarts in, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw Lorelai at the table. The cup in her hand fell, clanking back and forth against the floor and finally, Lorelai noticed her daughter was in the room.

"Hey," she said, managing to pull out a smile.

"Hey," Rory said, her voice and face curious. "Are you okay, mom?"

The Gilmore nodded, widening her smile to show it. "Just a little tired," she brushed off.

"Oh," Rory said with a nod while sitting down across from her mom, though there was some doubt to the word.

"You want breakfast?" Lorelai asked while standing up.

"Poptarts are in the toaster," Rory said with furrowed brows.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "right, yeah, sorry," she apologized for her mishap. "I'd offer you some coffee, but there's none left," she said with a shaky laugh.

"None left?" Rory questioned with wide eyes. "But yesterday there was a ton. We just bought some a few days ago."

"Damn coffee burglars, huh? They finished off the whole thing," she joked while lifting the empty canister and tossing it away.

"How long have you been up?" Rory asked in aw that even her mother, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, could finish off all that coffee in one sitting.

"An hour, give or take an hour," she said with a shrug. "We're low on milk, right? I think we're low on mlik," she said while moving to the fridge and swinging the door open. "I'm gonna go get milk," she said decidedly before turning on her heel, swiping her purse from the counter, then heading out the door.

Lorelai made it down the porch and just inches away from her car before realizing she had a 12 year old kid sitting inside.

The Gilmore hurried back across the lawn, up the stairs, through the front door and into the kitchen.

"You're okay here, right? I mean you're 12 now, you can stay here while I run to get milk. I won't even be gone ten minutes. And this is Stars Hollow, nothing happens here," she rambled with a wave. "Most excitement we had all month was Coop losing his gun... not that he ever needs it. No criminals in Stars Hollow, just the occasional field moose running through the Inn, but nothing new or exciting there," she finished nervously.

The young Gilmore was confused, to say the least, as she stood up and walked to the fridge. She opened it up and just as suspected, she found a nearly full carton of milk on the shelf.

With a frown, Rory turned back to her mom and said, "This is about Luke, isn't it."

Lorelai sighed. "No, honey, I just- I had a bad dream last night and I guess its affecting me now," she explained. "What happened with Luke was nothing; it was just a kiss, that's all. We're friends and that's not gonna change. Didn't we go over this last night?"

Rory nodded,. "So you're not mad? I mean I just don't want Luke to go away,I don't want anything to happen, I don't want things to change, I don't want you to get hurt," she explained in a rush.

Lorelai smiled at her daughter's concern. "I know, sweets, me either," she assured the girl. "I'll be right back."

Just as the door closed, the toaster went off and with a sigh, Rory went to get her breakfast.

_Dooses_

Lorelai walked through the market, her keys dangling from one hand and her purse hanging from the other as she headed straight for the freezer section. Of coures though, in and out, one, two three, grab the milk and go, wasn't an option. Seems she wasn't the only one who needed milk... not that she _needed_ it. She just needed to busy herself, if even for a few minutes.

"Morning, sugah," Babette greeted while reaching for a carton of milk. "You doing okay?" she asked with a sympathetic frown.

"I'm doing fine, Babette, why?"

"You know, last night, with Luke and then Rory running off... she didn't seem too happy about it."

"Oh, everything's fine. She just wants Luke to stay Luke, and so do I, so there isn't a problem," Lorelai said with a smile. "And speaking of Rory, I have to get back. I'll see ya later, Babette."

"Bye, dollface."

Lorelai released a breath while heading for checkout.

"She's back!" a voice yelled, the voice belonging to a crazy man who went barreling through the store.

"Kirk, please, don't raise your voice! You're disrupting my customers!"

"Sorry, Taylor, but I was just eating breakfast at the diner- eggs and toast, but egg whites and wheat bread. Mother says that's a heathly breakfast, helps prevent cancer," he said with a serious nod.

"Kirk," Taylor warned.

"She's back!" he shouted again.

Taylor rolled his eyes and asked, "Who's back?"

"Rachel!"

Everyone let their shock be known as wide eyes and sounds of surprise filled the room.

"Why does that name ring a bell?" Lorleai murmrred with furrowed brows while searching her memory.

"She's at the diner right now, talking to Luke!" Kirk went on.

Luke- that jogged her thoughts. And then a conversation she had with Sookie recently filled her mind.

"_Oh, he's had a few girlfriends," Sookie said with a grin, denying Lorelai's suspicions that he was a longer guy. "And a pretty serious one, too. She grew up here and even lived with him for a while, before she left to travel the world and be a flight attendent... or was it archeologist?... I don't kow, but they were pretty serious."_

"_Wow," Lorelai awed, never having even seen him with a girl, let alone hear him talk about one. _

"_Yeah," Sookie agreed. "She moved in with him when he sold his house and moved above the diner. Some people think she was trying to fill a void for him, you know? With his dad passing away and his sister gone, they think she was just giving him company, but I think they really loved eachother. There were even rumors going around that he was going to propose."_

"_Oh my God!" Lorelai gasped. _

_Sookie smiled at Lorelai's reaction. "We think he either did propose, she said no, and that's why she left, or she got a job offer, and that made her go."_

"_So no one knows what really happened?" Lorelai asked, confused. _

_Sookie shook her head. "She came back a couple of years ago and they got back together. She moved in with him again and it seemed like they picked up right where they left off so everyone just assumed she left for work," the chef said with a shrug. _

"_How did I not know this?"_

"_Becuase you had a ten year old kid and you were living here. You didn't venture out much then," Sookie said with a frown. "And how could you? You had to work 'round the clock and take care of Rory."_

"_Yeah," Lorelai said with a sigh while looking down at her coffee mug. _

"_So Luke had a girlfriend. He had a serious girlfriend," she said a moment later after looking up. _

_Sookie nodded. "Rachel and Luke- very serious."_

Lorelai shook her head, snapping away the memory and focusing on Taylor's nagging calls.

"Lorelai? Lorelai?"

"Sorry, Taylor, what?"

"That'll be $3.50."

Lorelai sighed whiel reaching into her purse.

Rachel was back.

**To be continued...**

**Hope you enjoyed. I'd love to hear your thoughts before you go, :). **


	19. Maybe, Just Maybe

**Author's Note- **

_As always, thank you for all the kind hearted reviews. It's great to know the story is cared about enough for some to take the time to leave their thoughts. It's much appreciated, :D. _

_Anyway, here we go. Enjoy the new chapter!_

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter Nineteen: Maybe, Just Maybe**

Decemeber 25th :Christmas: A day of celebrating, a day of presents, a day of sweets, and a day of togetherness. It's been said that miracles happen on this sometimes snow filled holiday. Things out of the oridinary occur. Magical surprises arrive, sometimes leaving no trace left behind. Special gifts are sent to those worthy. But what happened on this cold morning in Stars Hollow, Conneticut was no gift- at least, according to some. Really, one particular person. A woman with dark hair, and blue eyes. A woman who was kissed buy a scruffy diner owner the night before. A woman who was wondering what kind of cosmic joke was being played on her that today, of all days, Christmas morning, the day after he planted one of her, his ex girlfriend shows up. His ex girlfriend that he apparently was very serious about. His ex girlfriend who he loved... loved? Or was it love? Was he still in love with her? Was she in love with him? Lorelai couldn't help but ask herself these questions as she hurried home from Dooses.

"Present time!" she shouted while walking through her house, wanting to get her mind off the subject.

"Got the poparts and the cereal ready!" Rory called from the kitchen. "But I couldn't find the M&M's," she said with a frown while Lorelai hurried to the kitchen.

"Oh, uh, I hid them so I wouldn't eat them," the Gilmore said while looking around, a frown on her face as she tired to remember where they were.

"And you didn't tell me?" Rory asked.

"Well, you know what happened last year. We ended plowing through them before Christmas and they didn't have any left at the store, so our cereal was M&M less. So I bought them weeks ago, hid them so I would forget about them, and now I'm not sure where they are," she said while heading for the living room, figuring they probably weren't in the kitchen.

Rory sighed. "I'll look upstairs," she said while turning for the second floor.

Lorelai nodded. "Yell if you find 'em."

"Kay," Rory said before disapearing through her mom's room.

Lorelai sighed, her hands planted on her hips as her eyes scanned the room, looking for the candy, and her mind wondering what the story was with Rachel. The breif verson she got from Sookie wasn't enough. She needed to know more. And when Lorelai wanted something, she usually got it.

_Later_

_Town Square. _

Everyone knew who to go to for the main-stream gossip. Everyone knew who the queen bee was. Everyone knew who started the chain. And everyone knew exactly where that chain most always began.

"Kirk, it's not straight," Patty said with a frown.

"What? Yes it is," the man said with confidence while taking a step back to review his work. "Hey, it's not straight," he realized with a pointed finger at the pole.

The dance teacher rolled her eyes. "How you managed to put a strip pole in crooked, I'll never know," she said through a sigh before taking a drag of her cigeratte.

"Don't worry; I can fix it," he assured with.

"Hey, Patty," Lorelai said while hopping up the stairs.

The woman turned and smiled at her neighbor. "Hello, dear. What can I do for you?" she asked with a knowing grin.

With furrowed brows Lorelai said, "Oh, nothing; I just wanted to say hi," she said with a shrug. "See how the pole is coming."

"Last time I hire Kirk as a handyman," she whispered.

"I swear I can fix it!" the poor man defended while pawing through his mother's tool box, looking for something to use, though he had no idea what.

"Yes, dear, I know," she assured him, her voice placating, but her face telling Lorelai she had no faith in the guy. And the Gilmore didn't blame her. "So, you want to know about Rachel, don't know?" she asked before taking a puff.

Lorelai's face fell. "How'd you know?"

"Oh, I always know, sweetheart," she gloated with a grin.

Lorelai sighed while folding her arms over chest. Her gaze averted to the floor while saying, "I know the gist. She used to live here, she lived with Luke, they were dating, she left to travel around the world or something, came back once a couple of years ago, then left again," she listed the information that was given to her.

"Yes," Patty confirmed. "And now she's back. And you want to know if she'll stay. You want to know if there's anything between her and Luke anymore, if that spark's still there," she boosted with a big smile.

"Yeah," Lorelai said, her voice quiet as her eyes stayed on the wood floor beneath her feet.

"Well, last time she came, she didn't stay very long. She was here for a couple of months, stayed with Luke of course, then left."

"Yes, but why did she leave?" Lorelai asked, her face suddenly popping up to look at Patty.

The dance teacher smiled. "Rachel seems to be wonderer. She doesn't like to stay in one place for very long. Everyone thinks the same thing will happen again. She'll stay for a while, and then leave when she gets bored. Some people just can't stay put."

"But why come back to Luke? Why start things up just to stop them again?" she asked, unable to help her curiosity.

Patty thought for a moment, taking a long drag of her cigeratte while trying to organize some words of wisedom.

"Sometimes when you love someone, you come back. You don't have a choice, dear. While you're away, trying to live your life, your heart aches for the one you left behind. She needed to be with the man she left. And then, once her heart's had it's fill, she'll be able to pick up and go on with her life. For a while. I imagine the pattern will repeat itself. Some people just can't move on from their first love," Patty explained.

Her face fell further. Lorelai didn't like that answer. And of course, she hated that she didn't like it. "It just... it doesn't make sense," she sputtered, not sure how to explain. "If they love eachother, she should want him with her. If he loves her, he should want to go with her."

Patty nodded, a big smile blooming on her face. "Exactly."

Lorelai wanted to ask more, but a stream of little girls dressed as elves came rushing through the room and her opportunity was lost. And so she left, even more confused then before she came. On her journey, she kept asking herself questions, wondering what Patty mean't by 'exactly'. Was she trying to imply that Luke didn't love Rachel and thats why he wouldn't go? But then she could say the same for Rachel. If Rachel loved him, how could she just leave? But there was something different there- Rachel was the one coming back. As far as she and everyone else knew, it was Rachel coming, not Luke asking her to, wanting her to. But there was also the flip side- Luke didn't refuse her last time. And this time seemed to be the same. He wanted her back. But still, that didn't equal love. Maybe that was a one sided thing.

_Meanwhile at Kim's Antique's_

Mrs. Kim was a very religious person. She believed in the Lord and practiced her faith like clockwork. She went to church, participated in Bible study, said her daily prayers, and in turn, passed that on to her daughter, to her almost 12 year old daughter who slowly but surely, was discovering junk food, makeup, clothes that didn't cover the body from head to toe and all kinds of music that were now stashed underneath her floor boards. Or course, the older Kim knew nothing about this. She was very strict and set in her ways and thought Lane was doing her best to follow them as well. Unfortunetly, she was wrong.

But, Mrs. Kim was unaware that everything wasn't all smooth sailing. And even the woman who Lorelai swears was a drill sargeant in her past life, left a little room for slack every once in a while. Like on Christmas, a time when just family should be together, she allowed her daughter's best friend to come visit for a bit so they could exchange presents. Of course, there was a time limit and surprise checks every now and then, and a very firm time when the young Gilmore had to vacat the property, but there was still a window of opportunity. And the girls would take anything they could get.

The preteens had just finished exchanging presents when Lane pulled out the newspaper article she'd had for a couple of days now.

"Blake and Charlie won the science fair," she said with a frown while showing the article to her friend.

"Yeah," Rory agreed through a sad face. "I heard. I can't believe they built a robot," she said while opening the article to skim it over.

"Well, at least we know that even if we did finish our project, we still wouldn't have won. I don't think a volcano would've beat a robot."

"No," Rory agreed, her lips frowning at the picture of the two smarty pants boys standing next to their project. "Next year."

"Yeah, next year," Lane agreed.

Rory knew, chicken pox or not, next year they would find a way to build a robot.

_Square_

She tried not to look, she really did. She tired to stay on the other side of the street until the last possible moment, but she couldn't help it. She was curious. She needed to see. Though after she did, she wished she hadn't.

He was behind the counter, his back facing the tables and she was trying to slide past him. Apparently there wasn't much space between because Rachel took her sweet time nudging her way across the floor and when she reached the end of the counter, Luke turned to look at her. Lorelai couldn't see the expression on his face, but she'd bet anything there was a big smile there. And then a long moment went by before finally they both turned away and he went back to messing with the coffee machine and she went to wipe down a table. One day the woman was here and already she was wearing his shirt, his apron was tired around her waist and she was moving around the place like she'd been there for months, for years- much longer than just a few hours.

Lorelai sighed while hugging her arms around her belly. She tilted her face up to the sky and prayed for snow to come. She needed her old friend back. She needed to see big, fat, white flakes sailing down from the clouds. But no such luck. It wasn't snowing this Christmas, at least not yet. But then Lorelai realized that it probably wouldn't snow. Today just wasn't the right day for it. Snow happened when things were happy. And while she knew that some were more than happy on this day, she liked to think she and snow had a special bond. The beautiful, powdery white goodness was on her side. And so she knew and hoped that it wouldn't snow. She needed her childhood buddy to be on her side.

Eventually, Lorelai managed to pull herself away from the diner, away from that window. She forced herself to turn around and forget what was going on inside. Forget that Rachel and Luke just ran upstairs, the woman pulling at his belt as they hurried to his apartment. She tired to forget that it was Christmas. She tried to forget what happened last night. She tried to banish away the thought of him kissing her. And while she was able to turn away from the empty diner, she just wasn't able to forget.

_XXX_

It was early afternoon when the girls arrived home. And both with fallen spirts. Rory was still upset over the science fair and worried about her mom. As the day grew older and older, the young girl couldn't help but feel sorry for what happened. Though her mom said she didn't want to date Luke, Rory couldn't help but wonder. But she was also sure this was the right thing. If they wanted to keep Luke in their lives, this was the right thing to do. She just wanted everything to stay the same. She didn't want her mom to get hurt.

"You wanna put your stuff away and go to Al's for lunch?" Lorelai asked as they wondered through the living room.

"Al's?" Rory questioned while holding her gifts from Lane agianst her chest.

"Yeah, or we can go to the Inn. I'm sure I can swing us a table," she said with a grin.

Rory wanted to ask about the diner, why not there? But she stopped herself because in that moment she realized things were changing anyway. Her mom and Luke dating or not, things were different now. The kiss happened. Her mom didnt want to go to the diner. There was no going back now.

And with a hidden frown, Rory looked up at her mom and said, "Let's go to Al's."

And so not a half hour later, the girls were sitting in a small booth at Al's Pancake World, trying to find something Christmas-y for lunch.

"Maybe we should be daring and order pancakes," Lorelai suggested while flipping through the menu. "This place was a breakfast house before Al decided to be bold and branch out to pretty much everything under the sun... apparently everything but burgers," she said through a sigh before closing the menu, her mind made up on what she wanted.

"_Luke's has burgers,"_ Rory thought, but she kept the words to her head and instead said, "I'll have pancakes too."

Lorelai nodded. "So we eat, head home, get the presents away, get ready for the parade, hang out there for a while, wonder around the festivial for a bit, pick something up for dinner-I was thinking Chinese- grab some desert from Weston's, and then our usual movie marathon?"

"Yeah," Rory agreed, though she couldn't help but notice there was no mention of Luke's in her mother's plan. They'd be eating at about every place _but _ Luke's today. But Rory thought, just maybe, this whole thing would blow over tomorrow. Maybe, because this was the day after it happened, things were still a little weird. Maybe, her mom just needed time. Maybe, tomorrow, she'd wake up and her mom would be her usual coffee-driven self, rushing them from the house to get to the fluffy pancakes and perfect coffee. Maybe, just maybe things would be normal again.

After the duo had lunch, they went home to change for the Christmas festivites. There would be little events all day, starting with Miss Patty's students leading a parade down the street to get things going and ending with a firework show at night. The girls usually watched the light show from home, living just blocks away from the square and able to see the colors in the sky from their porch.

Lorelai and Rory were walking up the square, people crowding the sidewalks, their bodies sitting on the ledge, waiting with eyes poised on the dance studio where the little girls would soon come twirling out.

"What's Sookie doing here?" Lorelai asked with a frown when she spotted her best friend at the Gazebo, buying drinks from Kirk who was manning food and snacks.

Rory shrugged. "I don't know."

"Babe, why don't you go find us a good spot; I'm gonna check in with Sookie."

The girl nodded while turning away from her mom while the older Gilmore headed for the Gazebo.

"Hey, look who didn't tell her best friend she was coming," Lorelai said with an overly sweet smile while tapping on Sookie's shoulder.

The chef turned around, a big smile on her face. "Lorelai!" she exclaimed before wrapping her arms around the Gilmore and squeezing tight, a little too tight.

"Oh, wow, hi," Lorelai awed, confused, as she hugged her friend. "You're happy."

"It's Christmas!"

"Yes, it is," Lorelai agreed.

"You want something? I'm getting popcorn."

"Oh, yeah, and some for Rory," Lorelai said while reaching into her pocket.

"Oh, no I got it," Sookie stopped her.

"Okay, but I'll get the drinks."

Just as Lorelai fished out some cash, the line moved and the two girls took a step up.

"So, your mom's doing okay?" Lorelai asked carefully, wondering what the deal was there. For a while, the woman had been sick and Sookie had been spending a lot of free time with her mom.

"Yeah, she's doing great!" Sookie boosted. "But I have no idea what happened! Must be a Christmas miracle or something, but this morning she woke up feeling okay. She even managed to hike herself into her wheelchair!"

"Wow, that's great, sweetie," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Yeah. I mean who knows, maybe there was something in the riscotto," Sookie said with a baffeled shrug, her tone kidding. "But she wanted to come see the parade so here we are."

"It's good to see you happy again," Lorelai said, giving her friend a warm smile.

"Rachel!" someone shouted from across the square.

Both heads turned towards the noise and Sookie's eyes grew wide at the sight of Luke's ex girlfriend.

"Is that-"

"Yup."

"How long-"

"Today."

"What is she-"

"I have no idea-"

"Is she staying with-"

"Yeah."

"So she and Luke are-"

"Guess so."

"Wow," Sookie awed.

"Wow is right," Lorelai agreed.

"Anything else happen while I was gone?"

Lorelai sighed. "Popcorn, than I'll catch you up."

_XXX_

The Christmas parade was kicking up into full swing. Members of the Stars Hollow High band were in postion, matching uniforms on every body as each held their respective instrutments. The teens were ready to get the line going just as Lorelai and Sookie plopped down on the edge of the sidewalk. Sookie's mom was seated behind them in her wheelchair and as the chef looked over to give her mom some popcorn and a drink, Lorelai peaked down to the end of the street to check on Rory and Lane who were sitting on the walk in front of the Kim House. And of course, there was Mrs. Kim, the woman poised in front of her door, her face expressionless as she kept watchful eyes on the girls, particularly her daughter. And Lorelai couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Mrs. Kim working for the queen as one of those guards with the big, goofy hats who don't move a muscle or make a peep. They're probably not even allowed to pee on the clock.

"So come on, what'd I miss?" Sookie asked, jarring Lorelai from her thoughts.

"Okay, well first, I got kissed."

"You what?!" Sookie exclaimed just before dropping some popcorn into her mouth.

Lorelai nodded before going into the whole story. She told Sookie about the misteltoe ordeal- the scheme led and organized by the town. She told Sookie about Rory's reaction and the promise she made to her daughter and about Luke and the pebble incident. And then Lorelai finished off with Rachel, explaining that whole thing there.

"You're jealous," Sookie concluded.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I'm not jealous."

"Then why'd you go to Patty? You wanted to know more! You're jealous!" she excalimed.

"I was just curious, that's all," Loerlai defended, but even in her head, the words didn't sound right. She knew she was trying to convince herself of that too, not just Sookie.

"I can't believe he kissed you," Sookie awed. "How was it?"

"How was what?"

"The kiss! The kiss!"

Lorelai shrugged. "It was a kiss."

Sookie frowned. "That's it? 'It was a kiss'- that's your answer? Come on! How was it! Were his hands all over you?! Did he give you tongue?! Did he leave a hickey anywhere?!" she asked while looking back and forth, trying to see if there was a mark on Lorelai's neck.

"Sookie, we kissed, that's it," Lorelai said while putting her hands on her friend's shoulder, stilling her movements. "It was one kiss, not makeout fest '96 and it isn't gonna happen again, so please, let it go."

The chef's face fell. "No more kissing?" she asked.

"No more kissing," Lorleai confirmed with a shake of her head.

Sookie sighed while turning back to watch as the parade dwindled down, the last of the girls making their way down the street.

"Was it at least good?" the woman asked a moment later, her voice quiet.

Lorelai sighed.

_XXX_

It was almost dinner time and Lorelai was sitting on a bench in the square, a barely eaten snow cone sitting in her hand while her eyes sat on the steps leading to Miss Patty's where her daughter was talking to Kathy Fincher. The girls had a few minutes before Lorelai would stand up and make her way over to the dance studio to let Rory know it was time to go and hunt down some dinner.

Meanwhile, thoughts were just floating around her head, her mind thinking about things she knew she shouldn't be thinking about, but her brain unable to stop the thoughts from forming.

"Hey," a gruff voice interupted the quiet.

Lorelai looked up to see Luke swivel around the bench and plop down next to her. "Hey," she said while darting her eyes away from the man.

"Where's Rory?" he asked.

Lorelai pointed to Patty's. "Where's Rachel?"

Luke pointed to the far end of the square and said, "She's been running around here taking all kinds of pictures."

"So I'm guessing she's not a flight attendent."

"What?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Never mind," before looking back at the woman. "She seems to be having a good time," the Gilmore noted.

Luke nodded. "I guess so. I hope so," he added.

"So, what's the haps with you two?" Lorelai asked, using a touch of comedy to mask how curious she reallynwas. She didn't want Luke to know she cared.

"The haps? Well, let's see. What is the haps?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I mean, like, ya know, what's going-"

"I know what you meant by the haps," he interupted her.

Lorelai held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, well, you're repeating it like a thousand times."

"I was pondering."

"Well, you ponder really slowly."

"If I did it fast it wouldn't be pondering. Pondering by nature is a slow process," he explained, his tone letting her know he was losing patience.

"Okay, fine, fine," she gave in.

"It's okay," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai nodded while her eyes strayed to her still colorful snow cone. She let the words roll around in her head before daring to ask them. "Is she staying?"

"I don't know," Luke answered quickly.

"Do you want her to?"

"I don't know."

"She seems to really like you," Lorelai said, her voice low as her eyes stayed on her frozen treat.

"Yeah, she does, but she doesn't have the greatest attention span."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed, her voice soft.

"But she is here," Luke said through a sigh.

"Yes, she is."

A moment of slienced passed, both lost in their own thoughts before Luke broke the quiet. "I don't know, I mean, you spend a lot of time debating things, ya know, is it right, is it wrong, or should I do this, should I do that... I guess, I don't know, sometimes you should just jump in and take a shot. What's the worst that can happen?" he asked and Lorelai looked up at the words. She thought, for a moment, he was talking about their situation, and maybe, partly, he was, but then his words continued. "She left before, I lived. Maybe this time... well, who knows, maybe this time, she'll stay."

"I think that's really great, Luke," Lorelai said, trying to muster up some honesty, but failing.

Luke could see she didn't really mean it, but asked, "you do?" anyway.

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Well, I should go check up on Rachel," he said while bracing his hands on his thighs, getting ready to stand up.

"And I should check on Rory," Lorelai said while hooking her purse back over her shoulder.

"So I'll see ya around?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded. "I'll see ya around," she confirmed.

And Luke gave her a small, unsure, worried smile before getting up to find the girl who, for at least at the moment, wanted him back. And Lorelai matched the curve of his lips, her face scared and jealous all at the same time before her body went the other way.

"Hey, you; come to give me more punch?" Lorelai heard as her legs walked slowly across the square.

"That stuff'll kill ya," Luke's voice answered.

"Oh, Luke... some things never change, huh?"

"Nope."

And in that moment, at hearing those words, Lorelai thought maybe this time wouldn't be any different. Maybe Luke wouldn't be the only thing that didn't change. Maybe Rachel wouldn't either. Maybe she would leave soon like she did before. And maybe, just maybe, the jealousy and desire both burning in the pit of Lorelai's stomach would be gone by morning. Maybe. Hopefully.

. _To be continued...._

**Hope you enjoyed!!!! Please review!!!!**


	20. He Ain't The Leavin' Kind

**Author's Note-**

**I want to thank, **_rice117, Gilmoregirle19, sarahb2007, Jeremy Shane, chels, lorlukealways, calleighsthebest, SarahLouisex3, _**and **_Coffeebeanner_** for reviewing the last chapter. As always, I love the postive feedback, and all your comments keep me writing. So again, thank you, :D. And of course, I want to thank everyone whose been reading. **

**And yay, chapter 20! We've hit a milestone! And to celebrate the occasion, I would love to hear from those of you who don't normally review. Just a few words to let me know what you think of the story so far would be wonderful. But feel free to write as much as you please. And of course, those who have always reviewed, keep 'em coming, :D. **

**Okay, anyway, on with the show!**

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Twenty: He Ain't the Leavin' Kind**

_(Late January)_

_Diner_

It was the morning rush. Some were flying in and out while others were planted at tables and stools, people filling up about every corner of the small space. There were even a few standing who were waiting for a table, waiting for a stool- whatever opened up first. The place was a mad house, but that didn't stop Lorelai Gilmore from weaving her way through the crowd and heading straight for the counter.

"Coffee?" Luke asked, his voice dull and knowing.

Lorelai nodded while pulling out her wallet.

Luke turned to the coffee pot, grabbed a to-go cup, then filled it to the brim. He added just a pinch of milk and a ton of sugar. Anything less than at least five packets, and Lorelai would send it back saying she needed more mini snow flakes. That's what she called sugar- mini snow flakes. She said it helped get her going in the morning, gave her that jolt. Though even at night she asked for the same amount. Luke still couldn't figure her out.

"Here ya go," the man said while handing her the cup.

Lorelai slid the money across the counter, giving him exact change, having memorized the price ages ago, before taking the cup and saying, "thanks," in return.

Luke nodded while taking the money in one hand and using his other to open the register, and with that, Lorelai turned to leave. Luke peaked up once he heard the bells jingle and he couldn't help but sigh as she turned the corner and disappeared from sight. Not once did their eyes make contact and not even a small smile curved her lips. But that's been their routine for the passed month or so. Ever since the kiss, ever since Rachel came back, things have been different. She would still come in, but never did she stay, at least, not longer than a minute. She would just come in, get coffee, sometimes food, then leave. And Luke hated it, he really, really hated it.

"Can I have more tea?!" A voice shouted through the noisy crowed.

"I got it!" Rachel called while zooming out of the kitchen, her hand reaching for the pot as she went.

But of course, not seconds later, someone needed a napkin and a minute after that, someone needed ketchup and so and so on. That's how Luke's morning went and with his mind lingering on someone else, a woman who wasn't Rachel, he went table to table, filling order after order, his thoughts trying to think up a way to fix this whole situation. To get things back to the way they were. Back to when Lorelai would roll through the place like a tornado, stay for sometimes hours at a time all the while annoying the hell of him. He missed that, he really did.

And during all of this, Rachel would say something, breaking his thoughts, they would pass eachother , she would smile at him, kiss his cheek and he couldn't help but feel guilty that his mind wasn't on her. And then he wondered if this was what he really wanted. If having Rachel back was what his heart really desired... he just wasn't sure. And he knew that was a problem. It was a big, big problem that needed fixing. But unfortunately Bert couldn't fix this one. Luke was on his own.

Meanwhile, at the Inn, Lorelai was dealing with a customer when an old friend arrived. The woman stood just in front of the desk, a smile on her face as she patiently waited for the Gilmore to look up.

"Yes, you're all booked... we'll see you next month... bye."

"Look at that, you're answering phones."

Lorelai looked up and immediately her eyes widened at the sight of her boss standing on the other side of the desk. "Mia!" she exclaimed while running around the desk and barreling into the woman.

"Oh, it's nice to see you too, honey," the older woman said with a smile while hugging the girl. "So you and the phone are getting along now?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yes, we've settled our differences," Lorelai said while squeezing just a little tighter before pulling away to smile at Mia. "Lisa's on break, so I'm handling the desk. How'd I do?"

"You were wonderful," Mia gushed with a smile.

"You came back," Lorelai awed.

"Don't I always?"

"Yeah, but... you're back!" she exclaimed while throwing her arms around her boss again.

Mia couldn't help but laugh. "It's good to know you missed me. I missed you too. And Rory, where is she? I have Christmas presents for her."

"Oh, and me?"

Mia nodded, a big smile lighting her face. "I have presents for both my girls, yes."

"Good, then I'll forgive you for being late."

"Late?" Mia asked with furrowed brows.

"You said you'd be back before Ellen left," Lorelai accused with a pout.

Mia smiled. "Well, I didn't account for her going into labor early. Guess I'll have to next time."

"Yes, you will," Lorelai agreed.

"Hey, Mia! You're back!" a voice shouted from across the room and both women turned to see Lisa approaching.

"Yes, and I was hoping I could borrow Lorelai for a little while. I'd love some company while I have lunch."

With a smile Lisa said, "she's all yours."

Mia turned to Lorelai. "How 'bout it dear? Feel like keeping an old woman company while she reacquaints herself with the town?"

Lorelai nodded enthusiastically while swinging around the desk to grab her purse. "Let's go."

While Lorelai and Mia were headed out to lunch, Rory and Lane were sitting in the cafeteria at Stars Hollow High, the two planning their weekend.

"It's finally over! I'm free!" Lane exclaimed.

Rory giggled before digging into her packed lunch from Luke's that she and her mother picked up before school started. "You should sleep over this weekend. We can watch movies and stay up all night eating popcorn and candy while my mom tells ghosts stories. You know, the usual."

Lane frowned. "I don't know if Mama will let me sleep over."

"But you're not grounded anymore."

"Mama thinks your mom is a bad influence," Lane said through a wince.

"But hasn't she always?"

"Well, yeah, but I got in trouble while I was with you and Mama blames Lorelai."

"So we should start small?"

Lane nodded.

"Well, then maybe you could just come over for the day instead. We can still watch movies and stuff," Rory reasoned with a shrug.

"Yeah, that should be okay. I hope so anyway. I hated being locked in my room for so long. There's not much to do. Mama won't even let me have a T.V in my room. She wouldn't even let me use the phone."

"Your mom's really strict," Rory said through a frown.

"Yeah," Lane agreed while pulling out her lunch. Whole wheat toast-dry, an apple and a water bottle. She looked over at Rory's lunch and after seeing a sandwich with turkey and cheese, chocolate chip cookies and iced tea, she said, "I wish I had a mom like yours," with her face sad.

Rory wrapped her arm around her Lane, patting her friend's shoulder while saying, "I have an apple too. Luke always puts one in there. But I always save it for last, that way I'm not hungry enough to finish it. But I'll eat the apple first," she said while fishing the piece of fruit out from her bag. "On the count of three?"

Lane quickly grabbed her apple and after Rory counted, they each took a bite, the two girls laughing as they chewed.

_Square_

"Oh, the poor girl," Mia said with a frown. "I can't believe she still has that cast on."

Lorelai nodded as they crossed the street. "It comes off in a few weeks, so not much longer to go. And I don't think it really bothers her anymore. Casty's become apart of the family," she said with a grin.

"Why am I not surprised you named your daughter's cast?"

"Because I name everything."

Mia's smile widened as she nodded in agreement. "So I haven't heard from you in a couple of weeks. Anything else exciting happen?" she asked, her smile turning to an eager one.

"Oh, there's been a lot of excitement."

"Really?" she questioned, that surprising her. Having lived in the small town for so many years before she moved away, she knew that much didn't happen in Stars Hollow.

Lorelai sighed before saying, "Rachel's back."

Mia's eyes widened. "Again?"

Lorelai nodded. "She came on Christmas."

"Wow," the older woman awed as they hopped up on the sidewalk.

"Yup. She came, she got back together with Luke and has been staying with him ever since."

Mia narrowed her eyes a bit, Lorelai's tone catching her attention. To her it almost sounded like the Gilmore was Jealous. "And you're not happy about this?" she asked carefully.

Lorelai shrugged. "It's fine, it doesn't matter."

But it wasn't fine, Mia could see that. "Something else happened," she said as a matter of factly.

"What?"

"Something happened between you and Lucas. That's why this is bothering you."

"It's not bothering me," Lorelai defended.

"Really?" Mia challenged. "So you wouldn't mind if we had lunch at the Diner?" she asked as they approached the buildling.

"No," Lorelai said quickly, a little too quickly.

"Alright," Mia said, deciding to play along. "Then we'll eat at the diner."

"The diner it is," Lorelai said while waving her hand at the place.

Mia smiled while walking up the few steps, then reaching to open the door. "After you, dear."

Lorelai took a breath, held her head up high, then walked through the door. And Mia followed after her, the smile on her face growing. She knew the truth would come out soon enough. Lorelai couldn't lie to her; Mia always knew when she was trying. And that went both ways thanks to a friendship that's been going on for over a decade.

Luke was behind the counter when he saw them coming. At first, he thought the two would cross the street, turn the corner, go the other way, but then Mia turned to the door. And a reluctant looking Lorelai followed suite. He was happy to see them of course, especially Mia who's been away for a while, but was confused too. Clearly things changed after that night, after the following day. Lorelai hasn't been coming in for lunch and while he knew he was the only diner in town, he just figured they'd go somewhere else. But they surprised him. The two walked in and took seats at the far table by the window.

"Oh, hey, Mia's here," Rachel said with a happy smile.

Luke shook his stare away from Lorelai and Mia and looked at Rachel to give her a nod.

"Haven't seen her in a while."

Again Luke nodded.

"I'll get their table. I want to say hi anyway," Rachel voluntered.

"No," Luke stopped her. "I'll get it. You're better with kids, you should get that table," he said while pointing to a couple and their two kids who were seated in the middle of the room.

"Okay," Rachel said with a grin while swipping the order pad from the counter and heading for the table. She knew Luke wasn't a big fan of children

And with that, Luke made his way over to the girls table, two mugs in one hand and a coffee pot in the other.

"Coffee?" he asked while placing the cups on the table.

Mia looked up to smile at the man. "Have I been gone that long that you don't recgonize me, Lucas?" she asked.

Luke smiled back. "Been a while."

Mia nodded in agreement while standing up to hug the man. "It's good to see you again," she said as they embraced.

"You too, Mia."

"And this place you have, it's doing well?"

"Very well," he said with a nod.

"And as his best customer, I can vouch for that," Lorelai threw in.

Luke's eyes went to her and the moment they did, her gaze fell to the table. The man sighed while looking back at Mia. "What'll you have?" he asked.

"Anything but soup. I just hate soup," she said with a wrinkle of her nose while sitting down.

"How's tuna sound?"

"Wonderful," she said with a smile.

"And you?" he asked, looking at Lorelai.

"The usual," she answered, keeping her focus on the table.

"Hard to have a usual when you're barely here," he mumbled under his breath.

Lorelai looked up at him, her brows furrowed. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Be back with your food," he answered before turning around.

Lorelai's attention went back to the table as she was now trying to avoid Mia's gaze. But what she couldn't avoid were the impending questions.

"Are you ready to tell me what happened?" Mia asked, her voice soft.

The Gilmore looked up, wanting to make sure Luke was still in the kitchen and when she saw that he was, she turned back to Mia and said, "we kissed."

The woman nodded. "And?"

Lorelai's brows furrowed. That wasn't the reaction she expected. "And?"

"What else happened?" Mia clarified.

"We _kissed_," she said again, this time stressing the word, wondering if maybe she mis-spoke before .

Mia smiled. "I know dear; now what happened after that?" she asked. She really wasn't all that surprised to hear they kissed. The whole town had been waiting for it to happen, especially her. She always thought they'd be a good match.

Lorelai looked at her for a moment, her confusion growing with every passing second. "What happened is we kissed, Rachel came back, they're together and I can't stand it!" she exclaimed, her voice managing to catch everyone's attention with the words coming out louder than intended.

Rachel stopped mid pour and Luke stopped mid flip. Rachel looked up, her eyes almost challenging and Luke turned, his brows furrowed. But before anyone could say a word or do anything, Lorelai stood up, ready to make her escape.

"I'm sorry, Mia," she apologized. "I'll see you at the Inn," Lorelai said before hurrying to the door and leaving.

Luke was dumbfounded, to say the least. All he could do was stand there and watch as Lorelai quickly gathered her things and left. He couldn't say a word, much less form a thought.

"Luke?" Rachel questioned, her voice demanding to know what was going on.

That snapped the man from his daze and quickly he flew out the door. He ran passed Rachel, passed Mia, passed everyone; all of them looking up at him with that same blank, questioning expression written across their faces. But not a word of explanation was spoken as he flew through the room, leaving the door wide open behind him.

"Lorelai!" he called.

She was already two blocks away and Luke couldn't believe it. She wasn't exactly the athletic type so he didn't think she'd get that far so fast. But she did.

At hearing her name, Lorelai stopped, pulled her heels off and then went on running with them in hand. She didn't want to risk breaking a heel or her neck.

Amazing what a person could do during a moment of panick, is what Luke thought at the speed she was going, and at the sight, he sighed. He couldn't believe she actually stopped to take her shoes off. He couldn't believe she was running away. But then he realized, he had a way to beat her there, to get to the Inn first; that's where she told Mia she was going. And with that thought, he reached into his pocket, fished out his keys and darted to his truck. He'd take the back way. She wouldn't get away from him, or avoid him; she wouldn't make up excuses, not this time. No, this time, he would get the truth.

Lorelai arrived at the Inn panting and out of breath. She ran all the way from Luke's, barely even slowing down to cross the street. And all the while, she knew it was silly, she knew it was childish, but she didnt want to face Luke right now. She didn't want to talk to him. She just didn't want to. And so she ran. She ran and ran and ran until finally she made it to the Inn. But from the sidewalk, looking up at the hill, looking up at all those stairs, Lorelai knew she couldn't make it up. She could barely breath and her heart was about ready to beat right outta her chest. And so instead, she plopped down on the curb, dropped her heels next to her and hung her head. But she should have looked up, looked around first. If she had, she would have seen Luke parked down the block and maybe the prospect of climbing up all those stairs wouldn't have looked so bad.

He won the race by a good five minutes, maybe longer. And when he did, when he pulled up at the Inn, he put his car in park and waited with his eyes firm on the street ahead of him. When he saw her coming, he pulled his keys from the ignition and watched as she all but collapsed on the ground and buried her face in her hands.. Not a minute later and he was approaching her.

"Hey."

Her head flew up and just when her heart rate had returned to a normal speed, it suddenly hiked up to 90 in less than 60 seconds.

"My God, don't do that," Lorelai said with her hand over her heart.

"Sorry," the man apologized while trying to hide his grin.

Lorelai rolled her eyes while grabbing her heels and standing up. "I have to go."

"No, Lorelai, wait," he said while grabbing her wrist.

"Let me go," she said, the words demanding.

He shook his head. "Not until you explain what the hell that was."

"What?"

"You know what. And where'd you learn to run like that? I didn't even think you _could _run."

"Ha ha," she mocked dryly.

"Lorelai," he warned.

"Luke, I'm late; let me go," she said firmly.

"Damn it, why can't you just say what you're feeling!" he snapped, the intended question sounding more like a statement.

"Why couldn't you!" she challeneged.

"Hey, I showed you, I did something!" he defended.

"You kissed me because the _town_ banded together and all but forced you too! You didn't do anything on your own!"

"I told you how I feel! I told you what I want!"

"Then why the hell are you with her, Luke!? Why are you doing this to me?!" she yelled as tears suddenly boiled to the surface, clouding her blue orbs. "Damn it," she cursed while reaching to wipe her eyes.

Luke shook his head, a frown on his face as the grip around her wrist loosened. "Lorelai," he said, his voice soft and at a loss.

She backed away from him while closing her eyes, trying to gather herself.

Luke didn't know what to say. He knew there was something there; he knew she felt something too when they kissed, but he thought since she was able to walk away from the possibility, that it wasn't enough that she really wanted him. And so he didn't think Rachel bothered her. He thought she was passed it. That it was just a phase for her, just an attraction or something. Apparently he was wrong.

"I have to go," Lorelai said, her voice low, but loud enough to break the silence. She bent down, picked up her heels, then started up the stairs. And even with how slow her legs were going, Luke made no move to stop her.

It took him a minute, but eventually he turned around and got back into his car. Mindlessly, he drove to the diner. Without a thought, he parked his truck in it's usual spot, then walked inside. He didn't spare even a glance at any of his customers as he went straight to the counter, not even Mia. His mind was on one track right one, one task.

Rachel was in the kitchen, grabbing a plate from Casear and when she turned, there he was. The plates nearly fell from her hands, but she stabled herself. She walked around Luke, delivered the meal then turned back to Luke before saying, "we need to talk."

Luke nodded in agreement and just like that, they headed upstairs to talk. And Luke did something he rarely did. He took over the conversation, though it wasn't a long one at that. He apologized, told Rachel he couldn't do this anymore and she could take whatever time she needed to get her things and leave. And the woman agreed. She promised to be out by morning at the latest. There was nothing for her in Stars Hollow anymore. Though she should have realized that when she arrived because since she came back, she's heard grumblings throughout the town. Whispers about Luke and Lorelai, but she ignored the gossip, knowing the town liked to talk That was a mistake though that she was now realizing she made. She should have listened. She should have payed more attention.

They hugged goodbye and after a few words, Luke headed downstairs while Rachel stayed to pack. She wanted to leave and soon.

No one said a word to Luke when he came back downstairs. Everyone knew better than to question what happened. Everyone but Mia

"Lucas," she called from her table.

"Oh, sorry, Mia. What is it you wanted?"

The older woman smiled. "For someone to tell me what happened between you and Lorelai. I got the point, but I was hoping for the whole story."

Luke's brows furrowed. "You haven't heard?"

She shook her head. "I just got in today."

"Only a matter of time before Patty finds you," he grumbled.

"Come on," she said while pulling out the chair next ot her. "Maybe I can help."

Luke sighed, but none the less, he tossed the order pad to the counter, then took a seat next to Mia, hoping for some advice from an old friend.

After he told her the whole story, Mia looked at him with a warm smile while laying her hand over his and saying, "they're both scared. Trust me, I know my girls. They just need time. Lorelai needs to make sure she won't lose you. Just keep being there for them, and they'll see. They need to know that if things dont go as planned, that you won't leave; that you'll always be here, everyday, like you are now."

"I will always be here," Luke answered quickly.

"I know you won't leave them," Mia said with a smile with patting his hand.

"I couldn't if I tried."

"You need them."

Luke nodded shyly while keeping his eyes on the table.

Mia's smile widened. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're in love. And by the looks of it, it's not just Lorelai whose stolen your heart. Am I right?" she asked with a knowing grin.

He nodded. "She's a good kid. And so damn smart, smarter than I ever was. And Lorelai, she's just... there's something about her... even when she's annoying me, doing one of her crazy bits, I-"

"Love her," Mia finished.

"Yeah," Luke said while nodding at the thought. "Yeah. I love her," he repeated, his voice growing stronger with every word.

Mia leaned in close to whisper, "Tell her. You'll see that I'm right, Lucas. She just needs to know. Tell her."

Luke nodded. He could wait for her, for them. And he would tell Lorelai, show her- whatever it takes to get her to see that he wouldn't go anywhere, no matter what may happen. He was here for good; he was apart of their lives for good. He was just hoping that Mia right. He was hoping he had a shot.

_To be Continued..._

**Please Review!!! I heart reviews about as much as I love coffee and I really LOVE coffee, :D. **


	21. Making Assumptions Makes You An Ass

**Author's Note-**

_Sorry this took so long! I'm heading out the door for school, so I'll say a quick thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! And I checked this over, but it was a quick check so I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes!_

_Enjoy!_

**Gilmore Girls**

**Chapter 21: Making Assumptions Makes You An Ass**

Sookie heard what happened; everyone did. A half hour passed since 'the confession' and already it spread through Stars Hollow like wild fire. And it's all thanks to East side Tilly who happened to be enjoying a ham and swiss on rye when suddenly, just as the half eaten sandwich was about to lose another corner, Lorelai confessed. At the top of her lungs, she shouted her undying love and devotion for Luke Danes... Tilly embellished a little. And right after Lorelai fled from the scene, Tilly pulled out her phone and started the gossip tree.

Just a minute ago, Sookie received her call. And after the chef in turn, called Andrew to keep passing the story along -God forbid she didn't and the town would chase her down with giant pitchforks for interrupting the flow of things; and of course, she couldn't keep a secret to save her life- Sookie hurried to find Lorelai.

"Yes, I would love to see the car," Lorelai said with her cell phone pressed to her ear as Sookie approached the desk. "Tonight is perfect... okay... oh, wow, you live in town. Small world, huh?... So do you need my address, or... Yes, I'm next to all the gnomes. Gotta love Babette... okay, I'll see you later then, Derek... bye," the Gilmore said before hanging up the phone.

Sookie frowned. "What was that about?"

"Oh, you remember that car I found at the mall? The one that was for sale?" When Sookie nodded, Lorelai went on. "Well, the guy who owns it, Derek, finally called me back. He actually lives in town so he's gonna come by later so I can look at it and everything.".

"Derek? We have a Derek?"

"We have a Derek," Lorelai confirmed with a nod while looking down at the desk to organize some papers.

"Derek, Derek," Sookie repeated while her mind tried to come up with a last name. "Derek Holland? No, Derek... Hill.... Oh, Derek Jeter!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Derek Jeter?" Lorelai asked with a frown. "Isn't that a famous person? That name is ringing a bell. Granted it's a really tiny bell, but a bell none the less. Actually, it was more of a little ping sound, but either way there was defiantly a noise in my head just now."

"Better than voices."

"Yup; no straight jacket needed yet."

Sookie giggled. "Anyway, that's not important. What it's important is what happened at the diner."

"What are you talking about?"

Sookie smiled. "It's all over town."

"What's all over town?"

"You telling Luke you love him," the chef said with dreamy eyes.

Lorelai looked up, her brows furrowed in confusion. "I didn't tell Luke I love him."

Sookie's face fell. "You didn't?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No. Who told you that?"

"Al. He heard it from Bootsy who heard it from Babette who heard it from Patty who heard it from Tilly. She was in the diner when it happened. At least that's what she said. But you know that Tilly. She's always trying to get the big story before Patty does so I guess she just made the whole thing up to-"

"Sookie."

"Yeah?"

Lorelai took a breath before saying, "Tilly didn't completely make the _whole_ thing up."

"Then what happened?"

Lorelai looked up, then to her right, to her left, before swinging around the counter and waving her hand for Sookie to follow her. Once they reached the safety of Mia's office, she turned back to Sookie.

"I was telling Mia about the kiss and I don't know what happened, but suddenly my mouth got a mind of it's own and my voice kicked up twenty notches louder than it should've been and everyone heard me say that I can't stand that Luke's with Rachel."

The chef's eyes widened. "Oh my God."

"Ugh, I know," Lorelai groaned while burying her face in her hands.

"You can't stand that Luke's with Rachel," Sookie awed as her smile grew bigger and biggger with every word. "You're in love with Luke."

Her face popped up. "Whoa, now wait a minute-"

"You want Luke to hold you in his arms, kiss you for hours, then carry you up to his apartment where you'll have mad, passionate sex and then nine months later, out will come a little Luke and a little Lorelai," she described. "Your kids will be goregous," she gushed.

With her brows furrowed, Lorelai said, "Sook, hon, you do know Luke and I aren't together, right? I don't need to call the guys with the big butterfly nets, do I?"

"It's only a matter of time," Sookie said through a sigh. "What did Luke say when he heard?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I left before anyone could say anything," she said while turning to the door, ready to end the conversation.

"What? Why?"

"Becuase he's with Rachel. He has a girlfriend. He's spoken for," Lorelai listed while heading to the desk. "And besides, even if there was no Rachel, I can't be with Luke."

Sookie frowned. "Why not?"

Lorelai blew out a fustrated breath while looking up at her friend. "Isn't your break over?"

"Forget that; why can't you be with Luke?"

And while Lorelai was searching for an excuse to not answer that question, the phone rang, giving her one instead.

"And duty calls; we'll talk later, Sook," she said while reaching for the phone.

The chef sighed while turning back for the kitchen.

_Later_

_Crapshack_

When he got to her house, he could see through the windows that it was dark and not a peep came from inside. Luke looked down at his watch while turning away from the porch and sighed at the time. It was almost six. More importantly, it was passed their dinner time. The girls most always ate around five. But then he realized that was probably the reason they weren't home. It had to be. They were probably out somewhere eating dinner. So with that logic, Luke figured they had to be home soon. It was a school night, so they wouldn't wonder around town much, not like they did on weekends. Rory went to bed fairly early. The kid prided herself in getting a good eight hours of sleep, sometimes more. And everytime they ate, they scarfed down their food like it was their last meal. It didn't take them long at all to finish their plates.

"I'll just wait," Luke muttered through a sigh while plopping down on the porch.

After talking to Mia and having the rest of the afternoon to think, he made up his mind to fix this whole thing. Rachel was out of the picture now and after hearing what Lorelai said earlier, that was it. He wasn't going to let her walk away from it this time; he wasn't going to let her make excuses again. She had feelings for him, he would bet his life on it. All he needed to do was show her he was serious about them. This wouldn't be a fling for him or a non-commitment type relationship. He wanted them to be exclusive and he wanted them to be something permanent. But God forbid something happened between them, he would make it clear that he would still be around. He would still be there to serve them coffee, fix their leaky sinks and make mashed potatoes when Rory was sick.

Sometimes, he couldn't believe how attached he was to the Gilmore girls. He couldn't believe that after not a handful of months and he was crazy about them. He loved Rory and was in love with Lorelai. So much in love that he found himself thinking about her all the time. So much in love that he's had dreams about her. So much in love that he couldn't stand the thought of losing her.

Not a minute later and the sound of a car coming up the drive jarred Luke from his thoughts. He looked up and his face immediately fell at the sight of a non familiar jeep rolling up the gravel. And then he rememberd that Lorelai didn't have a car. He looked to the driver's window and saw some guy behind the wheel, a guy he's never seen before.

"Hey," Luke called while approaching the jeep.

The guy looked up with a smile. "Oh, hey. Is, um," he started while trying to remember the name. "Lorelai, is she around? She told me to come by at six," he said while looking to the time to make sure he wasn't too early or anything.

Luke shook his head while crossing his arms over his chest. "Who are you?" he asked in a no- nonsense tone.

Derek's face turned confused while he reached to pull the keys from the running ignition. "Doesn't Lorelai Gilmore live here?"

"Who's asking?"

"I know she said the house next to all the gnomes," he said while pointing to Babette's house.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Luke demanded. "And if you don't answer me, we're gonna have some problems."

"Hey, look man, _she_ left her number; she wanted me to call, so that's what I did. She said for me to meet her here at six, and it's six. If she isn't here yet, I'll just wait for her," he said while getting out from the car, not being the least bit intimidated by the seemingly tough guy.

"Hey," a voice called and both men turned their heads to find Lorelai coming up the lawn. "Luke, what are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

"What's he doing here?" Luke countered while tilting his head to the mystery guy. "And who the hell is he?"

Lorelai took a glance at who she assumed was Derek before looking back to Luke and saying, "shouldn't you be at the diner?"

"Shouldn't you be with your _daughter_," he stressed while looking at the guy.

"She's with Lane," Lorelai said with furrowed brows while looking between Derek and Luke, wondering what was going on.

"You're going out with this guy aren't you?" Luke said without question while putting his hands on his hips.

"What? Luke-"

"Should I come back tomorrow?" Derek offered.

"No; now is fine," Luke said before turning away from them.

"No, Luke, wait!" Lorelai called just as he disapeared behind the bushes and to the street. But when he didn't anwer, she turned back to Derek.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "You are Derek, right?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes," he answered. "And you're Lorelai?" he guessed.

She nodded.

"It's nice to meet you," he said while holding his hand out to shake hers. "And don't worry about it. I'd be the jealous boyfriend too if some guy came around asking for you," he said with a grin.

Lorelai smiled, but didn't bother to correct him. She figured letting him think Luke was her boyfriend was probably for the better. That way he wouldn't ask her out or anything, as he seemed interested. She just wasn't up for dating right now. And of course there was the whole 'no boys' promise to her daughter thing.

"So about the car," she started while turning to the jeep, "it isn't a clunker, is it?"

_Diner_

Luke stormed through the crowded room, his boots banging agianst the floor as he hurried passed a confused Casear and the curious, wondering customers before flinging back the curtain and stomping his way upstairs. Everyone eating couldn't help but flinch when they heard the door bang closed behind him.

Luke started pacing through his small kitchen, his mind wondering what the hell was going on. He didn't know there was a guy in the picture and apparentely no one else did either because if anyone, anyone at all had caught wind of it, it would've been all over town. And someone _always_ caught wind of these things. There were no secrets in Stars Hollow.

So who was that guy? He couldn't help but wonder. He had to figure they couldn't have been going out very long; the guy had trouble just remembering her name. Then he thought, maybe it was their first date. But if she was seeing someone, then what was with earlier? He asked himself while walking back and forth across the room.

"Damn it, Lorelai," he cursed under his breath while falling in a chair.

_Crapshack_

"Thank you, so much," Lorelai said with a smile while holding out a check.

"No, thank you," Derek insisted with a bigger smile while taking the money. "And you know, any problems come up, I'll be happy to try and fix it. I mean the car should be okay. I haven't had it very long, but my brother and I just recently moved here and we're trying to cut down on expenses so we're sharing his car. Gets better gas milage," he said with a smile. "But when I bought it a couple of months back, I had it inspected and everything and they found nothing wrong with it, so it should be okay."

"Good to know," Lorelai said with a nod. "So you didn't buy it while you were here?"

"No, no," he said while shaking his head. "Bought it back home," he said while taping the license plate that read Massachusetts. "But that was before our grandmother passed, and when she did, we thought we'd move in instead of trying to sell her place. It's a small, old house in a nice area, very affordible. We just thought it made sense. We're not exactly rolling in doh, and we saw it as a prime oppurtunity to get out of our parents house."

"Well, I think you'll like it here. That is, if you don't mind living under a microscope."

"Yeah, this is one of those places where everyone knows your name, right?"

"And then some," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Yeah, grandma would always talk about everyone here. I think she even mentioned you," he said with a charming smile.

"Really?" she questioned. "And what did she say?"

"Well, she's good friends with Mia. You work with her right?" When Lorelai nodded, he went on. "Yeah, she talked about her a lot, and your name would come up every now and then. Nice to have a face to the name. And what a very nice face it is."

Lorelai felt herself blushing, just a tiny bit. He was so obviously flirting with her, but the words were sweet just the same.

"Anyway, I should get going," he said while handing her the keys. "I hope to see you around, Lorelai Gilmore."

"Yeah, you too," she returned.

And with that, Derek turned away to start the short walk home. But before getting very far, he couldn't help but peak around his shoulder. But when he did, he found she already turned back to her house. And so he put his hands in his pockets, holding the check securely between his fingers while continuing home.

Later on, Luke was sweeping up just outside the diner when a shining light caught his attention. He looked up to see a car park just down the block, in front of the antique shop. He looked on for a moment, wondering who could be parking there. He knew Mrs. Kim didn't own a jeep and so he was curious. A moment later, a woman came out and when she turned to face him, he saw it was Lorelai. She was driving a car. A jeep, to be more specific. And after further inspection, Luke realized it was the same jeep from earlier. And then he remembered that trip to the mall. The scene played through his mind in an instant. Rory hit the car with his door, there was a for sale sign and Lorelai left her number. She needed a car. And apparently, she got one.

"Hey!" Luke called while hurrying down the block.

Lorelai turned around, just after starting down the path to the Kim house, to find Luke behind her. "Hey," she said cautiously, wondering if he was still mad about earlier. Though she wasn't sure what his problem was then either.

"Is that yours?" he asked while pointing to the jeep.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You bought a car from that guy?"

"Yes, I did. About time, huh?"

"So you buy a car just like that? You don't have it looked at first or anything? How do you know it's not a piece of junk?" he challenged.

"Because Derek told me it was fine," she said with furrowed brows.

"Derek, huh? That the jerk's name?" he mumbled. "And you believe him, just like that?"

"What's with you?"

"Nothing, forget it, but if that thing blows up on the freeway, don't call me. I'm not fixing it," he warned.

"I don't need you to fix it," she said while crossing her arms over her chest. "What the hell is your problem?"

"You don't just buy a car on a whim!"

"I didn't buy a car on a whim," she said slowly. "I spent over an hour talking to Derek, asking every question possible, and only after I discovered that it was a perfectly good car, did I buy it. And even if something does go wrong, he promised he would fix it."

"Yeah, in exchange for what?" he grumbled.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Cause I can only get something if I sleep with a guy, is that it?"

"You don't think that's what he wants? Because it is," Luke insisted. "And hey, it'd be easier then money, wouldn't it?"

"Wow," Lorelai awed after a moment of silence. "You really think I would do that? Is it because I have a kid? I'm a single mom with a daughter so if I want something, I'd do anything to get it. Is that how you see me?" she asked, upset that he thought of her that way. "I had a daughter at 16, so that means if I need something fixed, instead of paying cash like a normal person, I'll just jump into bed with him, take a short cut. Thanks, Luke. Glad you think I'm a whore," she said before turning away to knock on the Kim's door.

"No, Lorelai, I'm just saying that he-"

"Was a perfectly nice guy and you have no right assuming things," she snapped. "I don't need to sleep with anyone to get anything," she warned firmly.

"Hey, mom," a bright voice interrupted.

Lorelai turned back around and a smile instantly took her face at the sight of her daughter. "Hey, babe. Ready to go? Mia's back at the house waiting to see you."

The young girl's eyes widened. "Really!?"

"Yup. And look," she said while stepping out of the way. "Got us some wheels."

"That's ours?!" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah. Remember the car from the mall? The guy finally called me back. Just bought it a little while ago."

Rory took off running, saying, "Hey, Luke," in passing while heading straight for the car. "But wait, that license plate isn't from here. You can't drive it yet."

Lorelai smiled. Her daughter noticed everything. "Yeah, I have to get new ones and everything, which I'll do tomorrow; I just wanted to surprise you today."

"Let's go!" she squealed while hopping in the passenger seat.

Lorelai quickly motored around to her side, sparing Luke a quick glance before getting behind the wheel and taking off down the street. The man sighed once they were out of sight.

_To be Continued..._

**Hope you enjoyed! Please Review!**


	22. Pro Con It Out

**Author's Note-**

_Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! As always, I love the wonderful reviews you guys left!!! Keep 'em coming!!! And I know this one's shorter than usual, but when I got to the end, I had to stop it there. Good place to end a chappy, :D_

_Kay, enjoy! _

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Twenty Two: Pro/Con It Out**

"Babe," Lorelai whispered.

"Not sleeping."

"Yes you are."

"No, see, I'm up," she argued while popping her eyes open and pulling her head up from Mia's lap.

"Sweets, it's almost ten. You have school tomorrow."

"Can I stay home?" she asked. It was request the young Gilmore never really made, but with Mia only in town for a few weeks, she wanted as much time with her as possible.

"Oh, we could have a girls day, that would be fun. Can she stay home?" Mia echoed.

"Hon, you missed a few days when you were sick," Lorelai reminded her daughter with a frown while brushing her fingers through Rory's hair.

"Just one day, please," she begged. "I won't stay home again for the rest of the year," she bargained.

Lorelai winced, biting down on her lower lip while looking up at Mia, but when the woman nodded, she turned back to give her daughter a nod."Okay, but it's still late, so bed," she urged while standing up.

"Night, Mia!" Rory said before kissing Mia on the cheek.

"Night, sweetie."

"Be right back," Lorelai promised before heading down the hall to tuck her daughter in. And after hugs, kisses and wishes for sweet dreams were given out, she found Mia standing over the sink.

"Oh, Mia, you don't have to do that. I'll do 'em tomorrow."

"And why shouldn't I help?" she challeneged.

"Because you're my guest. Guests don't clean up."

"And here I thought I was family."

"You are family."

"And family helps clean the dishes," she said, her words stern but kind.

"Okay, okay, you win," Lorelai gave in with a grin while holding her hands up in surrender.

"Good. Now you dry; I'll wash."

With that, Lorelai joined Mia at the sink and the two worked together to get the night's dishes clean again.

"I hope you don't mind if I ask, but any word from Lucas?"

"What?"

"Have you heard from him after what happened yesterday?"

"Oh, well, yeah, I ran into him," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, he um... you know, he just... I told him about the car," she stumbled, not wanting to tell Mia that Luke bascially called her a whore.

The older woman frowned. "That's it? He didn't say anything else to you?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Why?"

Mia waved her off. "I'm sure he'll tell you tomorrow."

"Tell me what?"

The woman's smile grew while she put the last cup away. "It needs to come from him, dear, but don't worry. I don't think he'll wait long to tell you. That is, if he's thinking clearly. Now, I should be going. I want to be well rested for our day tomorrow. And knowing you girls, I'll need as much rest as I can get."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed absentmindedly while trying to figure out what it is that Luke wanted to tell her.

"Have a good night, dear," Mia wished before kissing Lorelai's cheek, then slipping from the quiet house.

The next morning came soon enough and the trio spent their day having breakfast at the Inn with Sookie, catching a movie, hitting the mall and getting what Lorelai needed for her car, but when it came time for dinner, there was a problem. Mia and Rory wanted to eat at Luke's and so Lorelai was forced to tell Mia about what happened with Luke while Rory was busy wondering through the bookstore.

"Oh, honey, it sounds like the poor man was jealous."

"What?! Jealous?! Jealous of what? Of my new, _used_ car? Because last I checked, Luke was very attached to his giant, green he-man truck."

"No, not the car; that man who you bought the car from. What was his name?"

"Derek."

"Yes, Derek. You said you found Luke at your house when you arrived home and the two were talking.

"Well, yeah, but all I did was buy a car from him. What's there to be jealous about? I don't even know him."

"Does Luke know that?"

"Well, yeah, that's where the whore thing came from. He got mad because I bought a car from some guy I didn't know."

"Maybe he thought that that Derek fellow was interested in you, so he wasn't happy that you were buying a car from him," she reasoned.

"No, that doesn't-"

"Rachel left."

Lorelai's eyes widened in shock. "Again?"

Mia nodded. "But this time, rumor is, Luke asked her to go."

"Wow," Lorelai awed while turning to peak through the store window to check on Rory.

"You need to talk to him. I don't want the two of you playing games or avoiding each other. He wants to be with you, he told me yesterday. And I'm certain you want to be with him. You need to talk to him, straighten this whole thing out, because if you don't, I will," she warned.

"But, Mia-"

"No buts, young laday. Now, I'm going inside to buy Rory a few books, then I'm taking her back to the Inn with me. I want you to go to the diner and talk to Lucas. You're not getting Rory back until the situation has been rectified. Am I clear?"

"Yes," Lorelai muttered through a sigh.

"Good," Mia said with a pleased smile. "When you're finished, we'll go out for a nice dinner. My treat," she offered just before disappearing inside, leaving Lorelai no room to argue.

"Okay, fine, I can talk to him, no big deal," she said while hiking her purse further up her shoulder. She then took a deep breath, cast a praying glance up at the sky, then put one foot forward.

_Diner_

The place was empty. It was that lull just before the dinner rush would sweep in. Luke was behind the counter, counting recipts when he saw her come in.

"Just so you know, I'm not here because I wanna be; I'm here because Mia's holding Rory hostage until we play nice again," she explained with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I've been trying to call you all morning."

"And I've been screening your calls all morning."

Luke sighed. "You're being ridiculous."

"Wow, Luke, did you work on that all night? 'Cause that's one hell of an apology," she said sarcastically.

"How am I suppose to be apologize when you won't answer the damn phone."

"Well here's a thought. How 'bout next time you don't call your friend a slut. Then you won't need to apologize."

Luke braced his hands on the counter before saying, "you don't buy a car from a guy you don't know. The thing could have gone up in flames when you put the key in the ignition. Did ya think of that?"

"If you're asking me if I've seen _Casino_ or anything else Robert Deniro has been in, then yes, I have," she answered primly.

"Damn it, Lorelai!" he growled while turning away from her and heading for the storage room.

"Why did Rachel leave?!" she shouted while chasing after him.

"Becuase that's what she does!"

Lorelai hurried to catch up, turning to the storage room to find Luke standing over a box with a box cutter in hand. "You shouldn't have asked her to leave," she said while stopping in the doorway.

Luke looked up at her. "What?"

Lorelai took a breath while looking down at the floor. "You know we can't be more than friends. It could have worked out between you guys. You should have let her stay."

Luke shook his head. "I'm not gonna stay with someone I don't wanna be with."

"I can't be with you!" Lorelai suddenly exclaimed.

"Why not?!"

"You know why not!"

"No," Luke refused while walking the few steps to get to her. "You're scared; that's all this is."

"And I don't have the right to be scared?" she challenged.

"No."

Not another word was said for a moment as Lorelai just looked at Luke, confused and hurt.

"Well, then I guess this friendship means more to me than it does to you because _I_ don't want to lose it," she said before turning around to leave, but Luke stopped her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Lorelai. You don't have to worry about that."

She shook her head while avoiding his gaze. "You can say that now, but-"

"I mean it," he interupted. " If we don't work out, I'll still be here, I promise," he said firmly.

"Things can happen, Luke," she whispered. "This could end badly."

"And you're so sure that it'll end? You dont think theres a possibility this could be it?"

She looked away from his chest to find his eyes. "What do you mean 'it'?"

"You know what I mean."

"Luke, I'm no where near ready to talk about... it. I mean we haven't even been out on a date yet; I don't even know if we-" but Luke silenced her uncertainty with a kiss and when his lips touched hers, the words were quickly forgotten.

He pulled away a moment later, slowly and carefully, a smile on his face as he waited for her blue eyes to peep open.

"Not fair. I'm still mad at you."

"I love you."

Her eyes snapped open in a flash as she took a step back. "I'm dreaming; I have to be dreaming. Pinch me," she demanded while holding her arm out.

Luke smirked. "It's okay if it's just on my end now, but I wanted you know. Mia thought I should tell you."

"Oh, that Mia, she's something, huh."

"Yup," Luke agreed while slipping his hands into his pockets.

"... I, just, um... I, uh... I don't know what to say," she stuttered helplessly.

"Then don't say anything," he said with a shrug. "Go home, talk to Rory, make a pro/con list-whatever you have to do to see I'm right," he said simply.

Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest while narrowing her eyes a bit. "And if the pro/con list doesn't end in your favor?"

"It will," he said with confidence, though to Lorelai he just sounded cocky.

"Fine, I'll make a list," she said with a shrug. "And then you'll have clear, concrete evidence that we shouldn't be together."

"Make the list- hell, sleep on it, but all you'll be doing is wasting time."

"Pro/con lists are not a waste of time!"

Luke sighed while reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. When he found what he was looking for, he held the little newspaper clipping up for her to see. "Remember this?"

With curious eyes, Lorelai took the flimsy paper between her fingers. Instantly, she recognized her hand writing. "You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away... you kept this?"

Luke nodded.

"You kept this in your wallet?"

Again, he nodded.

"Some crazy woman you don't know gives you a horocope where she makes it clear she'll say anything for a cup of coffee and you keep the evidence?" she asked, stunned.

"You may be the craziest person I know, but you're beautiful, Lorelai. When I first saw you, my head was spinning. When you left, I couldn't wait to see you again," he explained, the words shy while he avoided her stare.

"Well, I am irresistible. It'a gift," she murmured while reading the words again.

"I can make you happy," he added. "I _want_ to make you happy," he stressed in just above a whisper.

"You do make me happy," Lorelai said without thinking.

Luke couldn't help but smile before saying, "but if you tell me that you really don't want this, that you're not just scared, then thats it. I'll never bring it up again and things go back to normal. But if not, you should go home and think about things. Make the list. Take however long you need. I'll always be around," he promised.

Lorelai nodded. "Here," she said while handing him the horoscope back. "I have to go. I have a list to get started on."

"Okay," Luke said with a smile while holding the precious paper securely in his hand. "Come by when you're ready."

She rolled her eyes, but a smile quirked her lips as she reached for the door.

"Oh, and Lorelai?"

She turned around. "Yeah?"

"That guy who shot his mouth off last night and said those stupid things to you, he's an ass."

Her smile grew. "Yes, he can be."

"He got jealous. Didn't know what he was saying."

"I understand," Lorelai said with a solemn nod. "It happens."

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"I know," she said with a grin that told him he was forgiven. "Bye, Luke."

He gave her a small wave goodbye, then watched until she disappeared from sight. She would be back. That he was sure of.

_To be continued..._

**Please Review!!!! Thank you!!!! :D**


	23. The Good Stuff

_Thank you for all the lovely reviews on the previous chapter!!!!! As you all know, they mean a lot to me and comments like those keep me writing, :D. _

_Anyway, down to business. Here's the next chapter. Like always, I'm sorry for the long wait. Damn college and the massive amounts of work I can never seem to catch up on. Grr. _

_Enjoy!!_

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Twenty Three: The Good Stuff**

"You haven't started it yet!?" Sookie exclaimed.

Lorelai shook her head. "This isn't an assignment, Sookie; I don't have an impending due date looming over my head."

"Yes, but isn't this the kinda thing you wanna finish really, really soon?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," Lorelai said through a shrug.

"You guess?"

The Gilmore sighed while picking up her empty coffee mug, then heading for the fresh pot. "I thought about this all night and so of course I came up with some pros. A lot of pros."

"Good! Good!" Sookie cheered.

"Yeah, but I didn't come up with any cons. Well, you know, aside from the obvious."

"Which is?"

"Break up."

"Right, right."

"The good stuff was just so overwhelming, you know? It was all just so..." her voice trailed while her mind searched for the right word. "Good."

"Then what's the problem?! Go! Run to him! Tell him you love him!"

"Sookie," Lorelai cajoled.

"What? You do!" she insisted.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I didn't really think about the bad; I just narrowed in on the good and my mind went crazy. But I have to write everything down, get organized, then think about the bad. I need time," she said firmly.

"Fine!" Sookie gave in, her arms shooting up in the air and the spoon in her hand flying across the room, whacking manny in the back of the head. "What about Rory? What does she think?"

The question threw Lorelai for a second as she realized she hadn't told her daughter about the store room revelation yet. And then there was the whole kissing thing.

"I don't know," she finally murmured while worry crowded her brain.

"You didn't tell her?"

Lorelai shook her head.

"Well, okay, that's okay," the chef quickly assured her best friend. "This all just happened yesterday; you need time to process. She doesn't have to know yet."

"She won't be happy. She's scared of what'll happen if you know, things go sour."

"That makes two of you."

"Yup," Lorelai agreed through a sigh.

"But you said Luke promised that wouldn't happen and Luke's the kinda guy who keeps his promises. Trust me, I went to school with him; I know this kinda thing."

"He can mean it all he wants, Sook, but things can happen. We could end up hating eachother. A little extreme, I know, but it happens. It could be a bitter, terrible break up. I just- I can't do it," she suddenly realized, regret laced through the mournful words. "Yeah sure, maybe things'll work out, but there's just as much of a chance that they won't. I can't."

"No, Lorelai, you don't know if!-"

"Exactly, I don't know. I'm 28 and I haven't had a serious relationship. I've barely had _any_ relationships. I don't know how to do this. I don't know if I can be a girlfriend, a full blown out, adult girlfriend, long term commitment and all. And really, I don't know if Luke can either. I've known him for months now, but I don't really know much about him. I don't even know his full name! Does he have a middle name? Two middle names? I don't know. And we see him everyday, Rory's getting attatched, we're friends, and I just can't, I can't risk it. I don't need a list to tell me that. I have to go back out there. I'll see you later, Sook," she said in a rush just before turning to leave.

Sookie just sighed while turning back to the nearly burnt meat.

_Later On_

It was a Saturday_, _the hour just before one and because it was a Saturday, Lorelai wouldn't come back after lunch. She worked seven days a week, but got out early on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays so she could be with her kid. The flexibilty was a perk that came with her new position as assitant manager. And after trudging through the long morning, finally it was a quitting time. Or so she thought.

"Mom!" a familiar voice squealed.

Lorelai looked up from her desk just after finding her purse to see her pre-teen daughter running through the lobby.

"Rory, hey, you're supposed to be with Lane," she said while rounding the desk. "Did something happen? Is she okay? Where's Mrs. Kim? You're supposed to call me when you leave to go somewhere," she reminder Rory with a frown.

"I know, I'm sorry, I forgot," the girl said before taking a second to catch her breath. "Lane and I were going to Luke's for lunch but he ran outta food!" she exclaimed.

"Wow, really?" Lorelai awed.

Rory nodded. "He said the last shipment of meat and fish didn't come so he had to close down for the rest of the day but I'm sooooo hungry, so Luke offered to drive me here. I invited him for lunch. You're off now, right? You can eat with us?" she asked hopefully.

In that very instant, after hearing Luke's name, Lorelai panicked. "Luke's here?" she asked, trying not to sound anxious.

"Yeah, he's just parking his truck. He had a spot but it was Lisa's so he's finding another one. He said I could come find you. He wanted me to make sure it was okay that he's here. Why wouldn't it be okay?" the ever curious Rory Gilmore asked.

"Oh, no, of course it's okay; it's great even! I'm hungry, you're hungry, he's hungry; it all works out!" she babbled nervously.

"There my girls are," Mia's nearing voice called.

"Hi, Mia!" Rory said with a bright smile.

"I was hoping you'd still be here. What do you say to some lunch? I'm starving and I'm sure the two of you are," the older woman said with a grin and without a doubt.

"They never get full," a deep, grumly voice added.

Rory turned to see Luke coming up behind her. "Find a spot?"

"Yup."

"Good."

Mia smiled. "You here for lunch, Lucas?"

"If that's okay," he said with a nod with questioning eyes waiting on Lorelai.

"Okay by me," Loerlai said with a shrug while quickly averting his gaze. And the move was all he needed to know that something was wrong. _He_ was wrong. The list didn't turn out like he thought he would.

"Yes, of course. You know you don't have to ask. Now come on, I'll find us a table," Mia said while hooking her arm over Rory's shoulder and leading the group.

"Right behind you," Lorelai called while hurrying after them.

Luke just sighed, but none the less, he put one foot forward.

XXX

Not once, not even for a quick second did Lorelai make eye contact with him. Her eyes and attention avoided his direction all together. It was the longest hour of his life. Sure, Mia and Rory talked to him, asked his opinion on certain things, but all he could think about was how Lorelai was killing herself not to even glance at him.

Finally, when they're empty plates were being cleared, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Lorelai, can I talk to you for a minute?" he requested.

The Gilmore turned to look at him for the first time in over 60 minutes. "Uh, yeah, sure," she answered with uncertainy while rising to her feet. She led him to Mia's office then waited in the far corner of the room with her arms folded across her chest and her eyes on the floor.

The second he closed the door behind him, he turned to look at her. "If you think I'm gonna give up that easily, you're wrong," he warned. "I wanna see that damn list."

"I didn't make a list," she retorted without looking at him.

"You didn't make a list?" he questioned, surprised.

She shook her head.

"Then what's wrong? You won't even look at me."

Lorelai sighed while looking up and making a point to find his eyes.

"Did I do something?" he demanded. "'Cause by the way you're acting, seems like I did."

"You kissed me!"

"What?"

Lorelai blew out a fustrated breath. "I made up my mind. I can't do it," she confessed in a rush.

"What?" Lorelai, no; what happened to the damn pro/con list? What happened to talking to Rory? What happpend to thinking about it?" he asked quickly, needing an answer, a reason why.

"I did think about it. All night, Luke, you kept me up all night long and all I could think about was how great it could be. You and me, we just... we have something. I can't explain it," she said while gesturing between the two of them. "But I kept coming back to one, big, huge problem. No matter how many good things I can think of, there's always that one bad thing."

"What bad thing?"

"You know what bad thing."

Luke shook his head. "There's always that chance, Lorelai. Is that gonna stop you from ever seeing anyone again?" he prodded. "I told you I'm not going anywhere. I told you if it doesn't work out, I'll be here, everyday, making your food, serving your coffee; I'll be here," he said firmly.

She shook her head while looking away from his stare. "It's not just the coffee. Or the food," she added. "We're friends, Luke."

"And that won't change," he said, leaving no room for debate.

But Lorelai didnt' agree. "You can't promise that, Luke. You don't know."

"I do know. I know you're one of the few people in this damn town that I like. I know since day one, you've been in my head. I know I'd kiss you right now if I didn't think you'd slap me across the face," he huffed.

Lorelai couldn't help but smile. Her lips curved before she could stop them. "I wouldn't slap you."

"No?"

She shook her head while grinning at him. "I'm trying to refrain from the kissing too, if that helps," she offered.

Luke nodded, his determined stare locked with her blue eyes while he did something daring. He took a step closer. She didn't step back. He reached for her hips. She didn't swat his hands away. He nudged her shirt up, brushing his fingers over her warm skin. She didn't knee him in the groin.

"Luke," Lorelai whispered, her voice covered with concern, wound with worry.

"I won't hurt you," he promised, his voice gruff.

"What's your middle name?" she whispered.

That threw him. "What?"

"I don't know your middle name," she explained through closed eyes while her hands clamped around his wrists.

"William," he said through furrowed brows.

"After your dad?"

"Yeah. My mom's idea."

Lorelai nodded. "Mines-"

"Victoria. I know," he said with a smile.

She frowned. "How do you know? I should've known yours. What's your favorite color?" she asked in a rush.

"Lorelai, what-"

"I know you're a scorpio, I know you're name is Lucas William Danes, you own a diner and you have an usual attachment to that green ball cap, but that's it. I don't know what you like to eat, or you favorite food or if you're still a virgin." he quirked his brows at her. "You're not, I know, it's just the point," she said while waving him off. "I've known you for months now, and I don't know, it feels like longer. Doesn't it feel like longer?" He nodded while bunching her shirt up further, his hands seeking her warm tummy. "I need to know more about you," she said desperately.

"Yeah, of course," he said through a nod. "I wanna know everything about you."

"Well, I did learn one thing."

"What?"

"Besides your middle name, you're sly with the hands there, mister," she said through a smirk while looking down at his that were spread around her waist, his fingers panned over her belly while her bunched up shirt sat below her bra.

"Thought you'd stop me sooner," he said through a shy grin.

Lorelai rolled her eyes.

_Later_

"Another fun one.

"Yes," Mia agreed.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come in? I'm making coffee and pulling out the good, non-stale mallomars," Lorelai enticed through a smile as they walked to her porch, .

"It's been a long day, dear. I'm ready to curl up in bed and have a long sleep," the older woman said through a lazy smile.

"Me too," Rory agreed, the young girl lagging behind.

"Tomorrow, I'm driving up to Boston to visit John, but when I come back on Monday, I'm stealing you away from the Inn and we'll have a mother-daughter day."

Lorelai nodded through a big smile. Although Mia wasn't her biological mother or anything, for the past decade and more, she's been like a mom to Lorelai. They've had that dynamic going since day one.

"Can I come after school?" Rory said before a yawn came.

Mia nodded. "I would be hurt if you didn't."

"Goodnight," Lorelai said while turning to kiss Mia's cheek as they reached the stairs.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Mia kissed her girls, then left while promising to call tomorrow.

Once Mia was gone, the girls wondered inside, both of them tired and worn out after the long, but fun day.

"We should go somwhere too," Rory mentioned as the young girl headed for her room, Lorelai into the kitchen while she did.

"What, babe?"

"We have a car now. We should go somewhere," Rory explained while opening her dresser for some .

"Oh, someone itching for a trip?"

"We should go to Salem. We're learning about the witch trials in school. Plus, it sounds really cool," she enthused, through her voice didn't hold much excitement as she was ready to crash.

"We can go tomorrow," Lorelai said through a shrug while popping up in the doorway. "And on the way home, we could visit John."

"Can we?"

Lorelai nodded. "I can take off for the day. Pull a double shift on Tuesday."

"Leave early?" Rory asked, her back turned to her mom as she pulled her shirt over head in exchange for a p.j top.

"Bright and early."

"Camera."

"Yes, I'll bring the camera."

Rory nodded while snapping her pants to her waist, then wondering into bed.

Once her daughter was settled in, Lorelai raised the covered to her baby's tummy, left a kiss on the girl's cheek, then slipped from the room while sending out goodnight wishes.

After going through the house, making sure lights were off and doors were closed, Lorelai headed up to her room. She changed, brushed her teeth, tied her hair up in a pony tail, then climbed into bed. She sat up agianst the headboard, reached into her night stand and pulled out a pen and pad. After proping the bare paper on a pillow that sat in her lap, she drew a line right down the middle, then wrote 'pro' one side and 'con' on the other.

Immiedately, she wrote down the first con that came to mind. In her loopy script she jotted down the word 'breakup'. Then, just after, switched her attention to the other side.

An hour later and the pro list was filled to the max. The con list, well, it grew a bit, but all the items were consequences of the big one.

At nearly 11:00 p.m, Lorelai sighed while staring at the list. The answer was right in front of her, clear as a sunny day. Her mind was made up. And without thinking, she reached for the phone. She needed to tell him.

Finally, on the fourth ring, he picked up.

"Hello," his even deeper than usual voice answered.

Lorelai suddenly grew scared. Her heart kicked up into overdrive. "Luke?"

Half asleep or not, he'd recognize her voice in a second. "Lorelai?" he questioned while stumbling to sit up.

"Yeah," she confirmed, her voice small while her eyes were glued to her lap. "I just needed to tell you..."

"Tell me what?" he asked, growing more and more anxious with every silence filled second that passed.

"I made the list."

"And?" he asked quickly.

"I'll start with the cons."

Luke sighed, but none the less, his ears were open.

"One, break up. Two, no more Luke's. Three,no more Luke," she said, her voice quiet, sad.

"Lorelai-"

"Wait, it's gets better," she assured him. "Pros. Luke would be at my disposol 24/7," she said though a widening grin. "Pie, coffee, food, whatever I want, all the time. Broken things fixed whenever I want. Me and Luke together. Kissing Luke. Holding Luke. Making love to Luke," she listed, her voice turning shy at the end. The man took a breath. "You wanna know something?" she asked.

"What?"

"I think we'll be good," she said happily. " Although I am a little rusty," she whispered.

"You're perfect," he countered, the words slipping.

A blush and a smile covered Lorelai's face. "We're gonna do this," she said firmly.

Luke released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Good."

"Yeah," she agreed. "There's more pros."

"Tomorrow. Tell me tomorrow."

"Okay," she said through a smile. "I, um, I just- I'm trusting you with my heart, Luke. I'm trusting you with Rory's."

"I mean't what I said, Lorelai. I don't care if this doesn't work. I will always be here."

Lorelai nodded. "I don't know what happened," she said helplessly. "You were just the guy with the pie and the coffee. Now you're so much more than that."

"And you were the girl with the tight jeans and the iron stomach," he said through a sigh.

Lorelai pulled a wicked grin. "Match made in heaven."

"Yup."

_To be continued..._

**Please Review!!!!! I'd love some feedback!**


	24. Wendy's Diner

_Here's a speedy update- well, at least speedy for me, lol. And hopefully there will be more where this came from, though before I update this one again, expect to see a new chapter for _**Everyday**, _for those of you who read that, :D. _

_Anyway, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. As you all know, I love reviews, and very much appreciate them. Oh and to answer _**xokalio22, **_the John I was referring to was Mia's son. And I read the book too in highschool, and then we got to visit Salem on a class trip. Good play; good trip, :D. _

_Enjoy! Please review when you're finished!!! Thank you!!!_

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Twenty Four: Wendy's Diner**

_Crapshack_

"But it's already late," Rory argued as mother and daugther hurriedly packed a bag to be filled with road snacks and little things for the trip.

"Pft, seven a.m is not late."

"It is when we said we'd leave at six."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Like that would ever happen."

"It was your idea to leave so early," Rory reminded her mom.

"And I planned to. My alarm was set for six; my body just wasn't ready to leave happy dream land when the mean beeping sound decided to go twenty rounds. It kept getting louder and louder and louder..." her voice trailed.

"It does that so it gets so annoying that you_ have_ to wake up," Rory explained while holding a few bottles of water agianst her belly as she carried them to the table where the bag sat on the surface.

"Yes, yes, I know," Lorelai said with a smile. "I swear I'll be in and out, then it's nothing but open road for the Gilmore girls!"

Rory looked up at her mom and asked, "just coffee?"

Lorelai nodded in confirmation. "We'll have poptarts on the way then stop somewhere later for a brunch kinda thing to compensate for the miniscule breakfast. Sound good?"

"Perfect," Rory agreed.

"Great, then let's go! We're burning daylight!"

_Diner_

"Wait here, kay babe?"

Rory nodded before taking another bite from her last poptart.

"Two seconds," Lorelai promised while grabbing the keys from the ignition, then hurrying up the walk and into the barely populated diner. "Hey, Duke, I need two coffees to go, stat!"

The man in question peaked up from behind the counter where he was cleaning up after the early morning risers that just left for church. "Only if you stop calling me that," he growled.

Lorelai gasped in surprise while walking to the counter and plopping down on a stool. "I can't stop calling you Duke. It's your name," she insisted with a smile.

He looked up at her, finding her gaze before saying, "you ever want coffee again, you'll stop... and just when I thought the horse was dead," he murmured with a sad shake of his head.

"Okay, okay, no reason to get hasty," Lorelai surrendered while tossing her hands up. "Luke it is, senior crankypants."

Luke glanced at her, his eyes holding warning. "Why are you here so early, anyway?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, Rory and I are going on a road trip," Lorelai explained with a big smile while folding her hands over the table.

The man looked up in surprise. "Really?"

Lorelai nodded. "Now that we finally got some wheels, we thought we should christen our new baby," she explained through a grin. "We're heading to Salem for the day."

"You're leaving?" Luke asked, his full attention leaving the stupid coffee machine and focusing on the woman in front of him.

"Just for the day, yeah. We'll be back tonight," she assured him through furrowed brows.

"But, last night you-the list-you said-I thought you-"

"I do," Lorelai assured him with a soft smile playing on her lips."Everything I said, I mean't every word. This is just bad timing, I guess," she said through a sigh. "But you and me, I want this," she stressed, her voice low so no one else would hear.

"You're not gonna change your mind while you're gone?" Luke asked skeptically.

Lorelai didn't answer; instead she looked over her shoulder and after finding that the elderly couple by the window seemed to be fully immersed in their conversation and were paying no attention to she and Luke, Lorelai leaned over the counter and silenced all his worries and doubts with a small, but promsing kiss, one that let him know she would most certainly be back for more.

"That answer your question?" she asked in a whisper while pulling away just enough to find his eyes.

Luke nodded through wordlessly.

Lorelai smiled and said, "good. And when I get back I expect to hear all about our first date," she warned while reaching over the counter for an empty to-go cup.

It took Luke a moment to catch up but when he did, he nodded quickly while taking the cup from her to fill. "How's tomorrow night?"

"Perfect."

"Good, good," he agreed through a nervous nod while turning the coffee machine on.

"No juice bars," she warned.

Luke rolled his eyes.

XXX

"Shouldn't we be there by now?" Rory asked after noticing the time.

"Probably," Lorelai confirmed through a nod.

"Why couldn't I bring a map?" Rory complained.

"No map. We're doing this Columbus style. That's road rule number one. No maps."

"So we're just gonna wonder around until we find Salem?"

Loreai nodded. "Or something even better. Was Columbus looking for America? No. He was trying to find something totally different, something that's slipped my mind at the moment..."

"Asia. He was looking for a way to sail to Asia," Rory filled in.

"Right, Asia, yes, thank you. But did he find Asia? No; he found America! Land of the free! Home of the brave! And when he got here... well, let's face it, the man wasn't the best teepee guest, but the point is, he found something new, something exciting, something different, all the while just wondering around that great big ocean-"

"The Atlantic," Rory said.

"Yes, and after sailing around for God knows how long while looking for something completely different, he just happened to stumble upon the new world. He didn't need a map, and neither do we!" Lorelai declared.

"But I don't wanna find something different; I wanna go to Salem," Rory whined while leaning back agianst her seat.

"Have a little faith, grasshopper. We'll get there," Lorelai promised while reaching to pat her daughter's knee.

Rory sighed.

XXX

"Damn, I got off on the wrong exit," Lorelai cursed after coming out of a gas station and having spoken to the man behind the counter to get directions.

"How far away are we?" Rory asked while her mother got back in the car.

"Hour tops."

"We've been driving for three, We shoulda been there already," Rory groaned. "Can we stop to eat?"

"You read my mind, babe," Lorelai said while pulling out to the street.

After driving for no more than five minutes, they found a quiant little diner and without question, Lorelai pulled into an empty spot.

"I can't decide between eggs or pancakes," Rory murmured thoughtfully while absentmindedly reaching for her mother's outstretched hand. "I think eggs."

Lorelai gasped. "And hurt the poor pancakes feelings?! Nu uh, missy. You're Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, daughter of Lorelai Victoria Gilmore; you'll have both," she said firmly.

Rory giggled. "Kay."

Lorelai smiled while squeezing her daughter's hand.

Once they got inside and settled in at a table, a waitress was quickly there to take their orders.

"Yes, she'll have a stack of pancakes with two eggs on the side and I'll have a bagel, a blueberry muffin and some coffee. Oh and orange juice for my daughter. Thank you," Lorelai said with a smile while lifting their menus to the waitress.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," the older woman said with a smile. "I'll be right back with your drinks," she promised.

"Thank you," Rory said while smiling up at the waitress.

"Oh, isn't she just precious!" the woman boosted. "And what's your name, honey?"

"Rory. It's nice to meet you," the twelve year old said while holding her hand out.

"Oh!" the woman gasped in surprise. "And so polite," she complimented while shaking the girl's hand.

"Yeah, Miss Manners left quite the impression on this one," Lorelai bragged with a proud smile while tilting her chin to her daughter.

The waitress nodded, a big smile on her face as she said, "I'll just be a minute," before disappearing passed the counter and to the kitchen.

"She was nice," Rory commented while folding her hands over the table.

"Yes she was," Lorelai agreed. "So are you excited for today? Should be a fun day."

Rory nodded enthusiastically. "We're reading _The Crucible _in school. Did you ever read it?"

"I think so," Lorelai thoughtfully. "The name's ringing a bell. It's about the witch trials, right?"

Rory nodded. "These girls said they saw spirits and accused people of being witches and everyone believed them at first and that's what started the trials. It's really interesting," Rory explained. "When we're done reading it, I'll ask my teacher if I can bring my copy home so you can read it too. We're almost done."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks, sweets," she said, though she knew she probably wouldn't read it. Maybe skim it.

"Here you go, coffee and orange juice," their waitress announced while approaching the table. Lorelai and Rory quickly moved their hands from the table, making room for their drinks and after the woman set them down, Lorelai looked up to give her a thank you smile.

"Your food won't be more than five minutes," the older woman promised before turning to wait on another table.

After she was gone, Lorelai looked down at the mug of coffee sitting in front of her. And something about it, something about the oversized mug, the color of the liquid- how the milk to coffe ratio seemed to be just right, even the puffy white steam rising up to the ceiling, it all reminded her of Luke's coffee. Which then reminded her of the diner. Which of course, led her to Luke. And then she realized what would happen tomorrow night. Their first date. They would go out on their first date as a couple and still, her daughter didn't know.

"I'm so hungry; I can't wait to eat," Rory groaned while patting her hand over her growling belly.

"Well, it has been three hours," Lorelai justfied. "And that breakfast we had, not the breakfast of champions."

Rory shook her head in agreement while looking at her mom with sad, big eyes.

Lorelai gave a sympathetic smile. "It's comin, babe,"she promised. "But, um, while we wait-" The words stopped there. She thought twice. It wasn't a good idea to bring it up while sitting in an umfamilar town, in a strange diner with their food just moments away. This was an important subject that needed to be talked about throughly and privately.

"While we wait, what?" Rory prodded.

She thought about making something up, talking about anything else- a t.v show maybe, or something that Kirk did. He was always doing something weird. But then the thought of tomorrow entered her mind and she didn't want to wait anymore. She knew the conversation could potentially ruin her day, their day, but she needed to get the words off her chest. And so she opened her mouth while mentally praying for a positive reaction from her mini me.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"About what?"

Lorelai sat back, her hands falling from the table and landing in her lap. "I need to talk to you about Luke," she said carefully. "About me and Luke."

"What about you and Luke?" she asked before clamping her teeth around her straw and taking a few sips of orange juice.

"Well, um... okay, here's the thing," she started nervously while fidgeting in her seat, but forcing herself to look up and find her daughter's eyes. "I need to know how you would feel if Luke and I started dating."

The look on Rory's face turned to confusion as she released the straw and leaned back a bit. She just looked at her mom, no words coming from her mouth as she tried to figure out if Lorelai was serious or just playing a joke on her. She realized that it had to be a joke. "Funny, mom," she said while a smile took her face.

Now it was Lorelai's turned to be confused. "No, sweets, I'm not kidding. I really need to know how you would feel about that."

"But you-"

"I know you were upset with what happened at Patty's," she interrupted. "I know it was unexpected; it shocked me too, and I know I promised nothing would happen, but, well, things have changed," she explained gently while her gaze looked on for any type of reaction, verbal or silent . "That night I promised myself Luke and I would stay friends. I talked to him about this and I made sure nothing would change. Then Rachel came and he was with her and.... well, anyway, lets just say he wasn't happy with her."

"He wasn't?" Rory asked

Lorelai shook her head. "And apparently I wasn't happy with it either."

"You didn't like Rachel?"

"No, I did, but I wasn't happy that she was with Luke because-"

"You wanted to be with Luke," Rory cut in in realization.

Lorelai nodded while releasing a breath. "Yeah."

"And he wants to be with you."

"Yeah."

"He loves you."

"Well... yeah."

Rory looked down while wrapping her arms around her belly.

"He is really nice," she murmured a moment later.

Lorelai smiled. "Really nice."

"But what about if you break up?" the young Gilmore asked after looking up at her mom.

"I know, I thought about that too, and trust me, I worried about it for a long time, and maybe I am still worried, but he promised not to break our hearts, babe," Lorelai said with a smile. "He promised he'll always be around for us, whether it works out or not."

"So we'd still be able to go to the diner? He could still come over to fix things and watch movies with us?" she asked hopefully.

Lorelai nodded. "Yes," she confirmed while knowing that even if a bad break up should occur, she wouldnt' dare let that screw up the relationship he's formed with her daughter.

"And he'll take care of you? He'll be nice to you? Because this girl in school, she said her parents broke up because her dad hit her mom a lot and what if-"

"Whoa, whoa, that wouldn't happen with us. Rory, you know Luke, you know he couldn't hurt a fly," Lorelai said through furrowed brows.

"Well, yeah, but Jenny said her mom and dad were nice to each other around other people and around her but one day she came home early and saw her dad hit her mom and push her agianst the wall. That isn't gonna happen, right?" she asked anxiously. "I mean Luke won't-"

"No, no, no," Lorelai denied while shaking her head furiously. "Okay, um, how do I explain this," she murmured thoughtfully.

"Well, I know an easy way, honey," the waitress said while stopping on her way to another table. "I couldn't help but overhear and I think I can help. That is, if you don't mind a friendly stranger butting in," she added with a warm smile.

"Go ahead," Lorelai said.

The woman nodded while tucking a gray strand behind her ear and looking to Rory. "Some men, not all men, but certainly some, are pigs."

"Amen!" a woman called from another booth.

"Yes, Cynthia knows what I'm talking about. Her ex husband was one of those pigs. Probably still is. God help the poor girl that falls for him... anyway, some men just can't be trusted. They aren't nice. They don't respect women or anyone for that matter. They let their tempers rule them. They walk around with a heavy hand and use violence to solve their problems. Those are the men you wanna stay far away from. You understand, young lady?" she asked Rory.

The pre-teen nodded.

The waitress smiled while looking to Lorelai. "I'm sorry, dear, I should have warned you. There are no secrets in Wendy's Diner. It's a small little place here and words tend to carry. I didn't mean to butt in. You just looked like you needed some help."

"Oh, it's okay, I know how that goes. We live near a diner just like this one back home in a town with no secrets," she said with a grin.

"Oh, so you're passing through?"

Lorelai nodded.

"Well, can I just ask, this man you were talking about, he's not a pig, is he?"

"No, the opposite infact. I mean he's got one hell of a grumpy demeanor and can rant with the best of 'em, but he's harmless."

"I bet he's got a deep voice. The ranters always have deep voices," a woman behind the counter threw in with a longing look on her face.

"If he's ranting, he's talking and if he's talking, he's not hurting," the waitress explained. "It's the ones who lose their tempers, those are the bad ones. And it's because they don't ever let anything out and eventually it gets bottled up and then that's when you need to worry. That's when he could snap," she warned.

"Luke loses his temper sometimes," Rory said. "But it's funny when he does," she started to explain with a growing smile. "Like when Taylor tries to make him decorate the diner for something, like oh, Thanksgiving! And Luke doesn't like decorating but Taylor's really pushy and I remember when they fought about paper turkeys and Luke got so mad, he threw the paper turkey across the room then told Taylor to leave!" she exclaimed through her giggles. "But then he helped Fran sit down. He pulled out a chair for her. I think she has a bum hip. She's always complaining about a bum hip," Rory murmured thoughtfully while trying to remember.

"Yeah, he puts on quite the show," Lorelai said with a smile. "But I wouldn't trust him with you if I ever thought he could hurt anyone, Rory."

"Don't worry, honey. I think your mom has a good one," another waitress, this one younger, added in while on her way to serve some customers. "Odds are, if he's good with kids, he's a keeper. You need patience to be good with kids and patience is a dead give away. Patience means they won't fly off the handle. If he's got patience, he's a good one."

Rory nodded while looking down to play with the balled up coat that sat in her lap, her fingers pulling the zipper up and down.

After a moment of silence passed, she looked up at her mom. "I know you probably wanna be alone on your first date, but on your second date, can I come?" she asked hopefully. "We can all go out to dinner, you know, like a family. Sorta."

Lorelai smiled, her lips spreading a mile wide. "I think that can be arranged."

Their waitress, who couldn't help but stay near to hear how the story ended, looked at them with a smile. "How bout some pie with your meal? It's on the house."

"Oh, we like pie," Lorelai said quickly.

"Apple?" Rory asked with excited eyes.

"You got it," the woman promised.

"Hey, Rory."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Lorelai whispered.

The young Gilmore smiled.

XXX

It was a cold January night while one Gilmore slept peacefully and the other drove them to Boston. The jeep was filled with heat, the warm air blasting through the vents as both girls wore matching gray hoodies, the Salem logo plastered across their chests. The back seat was filled with gifts for friends and souvenirs for themselves. It was a long, fun day that was coming to a close.

Just as Lorelai drove through the outskirts of Boston on her way to see Mia, the cell phone in her lap buzzed. When she reached a red light, she looked down at the missed call and smiled after finding it was Luke. Quickly, she dialed his number.

"Hey, stranger."

"_Lorelai, hey. You still on the road? It's late," _he said worriedly.

She smiled. "It's only seven."

"_Yeah, well it's dark out. I don't like you driving in the dark. Especially with Rory."_

Lorelai smiled further at his concern. "We're okay and we're almost at John's."

"_John's?"_

"Mia's son."

"_Oh, right. I met him once. Good guy."_

"Yeah, he is. Mia's been there for the day, visiting. His wife recently had a baby so we're stopping there on the way home to see her."

"_It's a girl?"_

"Yeah. Elena Ryan."

"_Ryan? Isn't that a boy's name?"_

"Both I think. And it's after her grandfather. He's not around anymore."

"_Ah," _Luke said in understanding.

"Yeah. So, um, how are you?" she asked with a suddenly shy smile while driving along with the moving traffic.

"_You know, same old. Got a bread delivery earlier."_

"Score."

"_Yup, good day. But I'm thinkin' tomorrow'll be better," _he said, his voice gruff.

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked with a coy smile. "And why is that?"

"_Got a date with Loreai Gilmore," _he gloated through a grin.

"Well aren't you the lucky boy."

"_I think so."_

_To be continued...._

**Please Review!!!!**

**Next Chapter...**

_It's that time of year again; the time for love; the time for celebration; the time for pretzels and nachos; and the time for a big, warm bon fire, all of this cultivating in the Stars Hollow Starlight Festival. And though the Gilmore girls have to bit farewell to good friend, both are happy to take part in something that not once have they missed since arriving in town. But a decision has to be made by the alpha of the pack and a certain diner man. Go to the festival together as a couple, thereby opening pandora's box? Or play it cool and happen to just "bump into eachother." One argues that they haven't been on a date yet and this would be a prime opportunity. The other one says he doesn't want of all Stars Hollow butting into their business. Who will win the argument?_ _Will Luke even go to the festival? Will someone remember to bring the giant siscors? Will the Banyon boys steal all the firewood? Will Taylor go mad?_

**Stay Tuned!!!! You don't wanna miss that one, folks! :D**


	25. Finally!

_Here's a long one, folks!!!!! I didn't plan on getting this one updated before my others, but worked out this way. I was eager to write this chapter, hehe. Anyway, hope you enjoy!!!_

_Oh, and as always, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!!! And a special thanks to those of you who have been reviewing from day one!!!! :D_

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Twenty Five: Finally!**

_Independence Inn_

_(Mid February)_

"Three weeks? Really?" Sookie questioned while stirring a long wooden spoon around a batch of homemade soup.

"Yup," Lorelai confirmed through a sigh. "The day after we got back from Salem, we were supposed to go out but that morning I get a call from Luke saying Casar has the flu. So for two weeks, Luke's working round the clock 'cause this kid he hired got busted at a party by his mother of all people and was put on lock down. Probably still is. And with Luke being stubborn as hell, the man wouldn't hire anyone else, leaving him to do everything. But finally, when there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel with Casar going back to work, things fall apart on my end. Lisa gets sick, Mia has to go home and I'm stuck here all the time," Lorelai complained while leaning back agianst the island. "Not one date, we haven't been on _one_ date yet and weeks have gone by- months if you count the kiss at Patty's... but that doesn't really count... although the store room thing- oh, I don't know, whatever, it doesnt matter; point is, this sucks."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Sookie said through a frown. "But hey, you know what's this weekend."

"What?"

"The firelight festival!"

"Oh, right, yeah," Lorelai realized before tipping her mug up for a sip of coffee.

Sookie's brows furrowed and she asked, "you're not excited? You and Luke could go together. You could make a whole romantic thing out of it. Dinner, then the festival. It's the perfect first date!" she boosted cheerfully.

"I don't know," Lorelai argued through a small wince. "Luke's not really into town stuff. You know that, Sook; you grew up with him."

"Well, yeah, but it's different now. He has you to go with. I mean Rachel always dragged him to those things; I'm sure you could," she said helpfully.

"But that's the thing. I don't wanna have to drag him there, kicking and screaming. I don't wanna make him do something he doesn't want to do. Especially on our first date," she added. "Besides, he says he's got the date all planned and everything; we just haven't had a chance to follow through with the plan. Damn our hectic schedules. Why couldn't we be crack addicted slackers who couldn't down jobs. Then I wouldn't have this problem," she grumbled mournfully.

"Well, yeah but then you'd be complaining about not having any money to buy crack."

"Lose-lose."

"Yup."

_Later_

_Square_

Lorelai walked across the sidewalk with her eyes forward, her legs moving fast and purpose in her stride. She tried not to pay any attention to the chaos that was going on in the square as preparations for the firelight festival reminded her of one thing: love. The firelight festival was all about the love. And that made her think about Luke and how they haven't gotten their first date yet and that just made her sad. That made her sad and mad. It made her smad. And Lorelai didn't like feeling smad.

And so, while trying to ignore the mayhem going on across the street, Lorelai turned to the diner, walked through the door and headed straight for the counter.

"Don't even ask me if I'm free tonight, because I'm not," Lorelai warned while plopping down on her usual stool that sat in front of the cash register.

"Good, cause I'm not either," Luke said.

"What? Why?"

"Meat delivery," the man answered dully.

Lorelai groaned while folding her arms over the table and letting her head fall ontop of them.

"I'll get the coffee," Luke said without question while turning for the pot."And saw ya coming. Put your order in."

"Thank you," Lorelai mumbled back without raising her head.

XXX

Most of the day came and went as before Lorelai knew it, it was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon and she found herself taking a break from the Inn to pick her daughter up from school. And so after stopping at Luke's for two coffee's to go- one decaf with more milk than anything else and one filled to the brim with caffene and just a few pinches of milk- Lorelai stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the school while taking a sip here and there.

When she managed to empty more than half of her cup, the bell ringing could be heard from outside and not two minutes later she saw her daughter rushing from the school.

"Finally! Finally! Finally!" she cheered while running to her mom.

Lorelai smiled while opening her arms in invitation and Rory barreled into her, pressing her face to Lorelai's stomach with the biggest smile tugging at her lips.

"You're not sad about losing casty? Not even a little?" Lorelai asked with an amused smile.

Rory shook her head while looking up at her mom. "I can shower without plastic wrap around my arm!" she cheered like that was the best freedom in the world.

Lorelai smiled while brushing her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Okay, well grab your coffee and let's go."

Not an hour later, the girls were walking through the square as Rory looked down at her newly bare arm, her curious eyes examining it.

"I think this arm is paler. At least the part that my cast covered," the pre-teen murmured thoughtfully.

"Maybe a little bit," Lorelai agreed. "But you don't exactly tan well, babe, " she said through a wince.

"You're not so tan either," Rory pointed out. "Even during the summer."

"Tanner than you!"

"That's cause you cheat and lay out withtout lotion so you'll burn and then after you get burned you always tan a little," Rory complained through a frown. "You're gonna get skin cancer."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I only do that once to set the base tan."

"Yeah and after that you use oil," Rory said with her nose crinkled up.

"Well they don't call it tanning oil for nothing," she retorted while holding the door to Luke's open.

"Hey, no cast," Luke noticed while passing the girls on his way to serving a table.

"Yup, just ditched casty a little while ago," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, finally," Rory added while going straight for the counter with her mom following behind her.

Lorelai rolled her eyes while sliding into the stool next to her daughter. "She's been ready to lose casty since day one; I however am going to miss that little guy. I mean he's been with us for months. He was apart of the family. All those times I spent wrapping him up in plastic wrap... those are the moments I'll cheerish forever," she gushed while pressing her hand to her heart.

"Jeez," Luke grumbled while swinging back behind the counter.

"Are you sure you wanna date her?" Rory asked in a low whisper. "If you're not careful, you might get some of her crazy," the girl warned.

"No take backsies!" Lorelai called.

"Apparently I'm stuck with her," Luke drolled.

Lorelai smiled broadly while putting her elbow to the table and propping her chin in her hand. "So how 'bout it, stud. Think we can order now?" she asked in a breathy voice. "I'm just dying for some cheese fries."

"And a heart attack," he murmured under his breath while writing the order down. "You?"

"Same," Rory said. "Oh and pie," she added with wide eyes on the pie case that was filled with her favorite kind. Apple.

Luke sighed but none the less, he turned to the kitchen to put their orders in with Caser. A moment later, he re-surfaced in front of Lorelai. "So I have that new door knob for your back door," he started.

Lorelai looked at him, confused. "My what?"

"You know, that new door knob. Your kitchen one was broken..." he trailed while giving her a quick wink.

"Oh, right, right," Lorelai realized while trying to hide her grin.

"Yeah, it's in the back if you wanna see it," he said while pointing to the storage room.

"Yes, of course I wanna see it," she said eagerly while turning in her stool, whispering to Rory that she'd be right back, then following Luke to the storage room.

Once they were alone, Luke closed the door, then quickly turned to Lorelai, wrapping his arms around her waist and hauling her body up agianst the wall.

"Oh, so it's _that_ door knob you wanted me to see," she teased while glancing to her left at the door handle that her body nearly missed bumping into it.

"I'm taking you out this weekend. Get someone to cover for you at the Inn, because I'm not waiting anymore," he warned, his voice deep and dangerous, the words washing over her cheek, sending shivers down her spine.

"I put in for Friday a long time ago, for the firelight festival," she said while tilting her head back to allow his wondering lips better access to her neck.

"Forget the festival," he murmured between kisses while his fingers splayed over her belly, his hands traveling up under her blouse.

"Can't," she countered with eyes fallen closed. "Always go."

"Skip it. Just this once," he begged while trailing his lips across her jaw line.

"Go with me," she argued, not thinking about the words before they left her mouth.

"No," he mumbled agianst her neck.

"Please," she breathed while arching into him.

Luke didn't say anything but instead his lips founds hers and together they engaged in a hurried, heated kiss, one that left Lorelai pouting when just a moment later, Luke broke away.

He smiled at her while smoothing the pad of his thumb over her soft, frowning lips. "You know I hate those things," he said, his voice gentle as he spoke through a smile.

"Just for a little while," she begged, though she knew better. She didn't mean to; she just thought it would be a good opportunity. Plus, she liked the thought of going to a festival that was all about the love with her guy.

Luke shook his head while finding her eyes. Their gazes locked while he released his hold on her just a bit, leaving the smallest space between them, but keeping his hands firm on her soft skin. He needed to touch her.

"I can't take you out Saturday. Casar's day off."

"I have to work Sunday," she said through a wince.

Luke sighed.

Lorelai bit down on her lower lip while thinking back to her conversation with Sookie. Dinner then the festival, it sounded like a good combo to her. But Luke didn't want any part of the festival._"Rachel dragged him to those things all the time." _Sookie's words played in her mind. She didn't want to do what Rachel did. That was a different relationship. She didn't want things to end the way they ended with him and Rachel.

But Lorelai couldn't help but think about the festival. She wasn't dense; she could see he was different with her. He even had fun sometimes. Maybe she could make the festival fun for him, was what she thought. It was worth a shot, she reasoned.

"What did you have planned?" Lorelai asked, after having come up with a plan of her own.

"For what?"

"The date."

Luke shook his head. "Nope. You can wait."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, just gimme the gist. I assume a meal was involved? Dinner?"

He nodded.

"And afterwards? Was there something after?"

He nodded.

Lorelai looked at him, surprised. "Really? Is it a movie? I can't see you at the movies."

He shook his head.

"Not giving anything away, huh?"

Again, he shook his head, but this time while wearing a grin.

Lorelai sighed then said, "what if we compromise?"

He looked at her expectantly waiting for her to go on.

"What if we do your dinner thing, then go to the festival, just for a little while," she added quickly.

"Lorelai-"

"Please," she pleaded with big, blue, begging eyes. "We'll eat, go the festival, then come back here? Maybe I'll finally get to see your apartment?" she asked through a soft smile.

Luke sighed before saying, "that was the plan."

"What?"

"To come back here, that was my plan," he explained.

"Oh," she realized while a growing smile tugged at her lips. "So we have a deal?"

Luke took a moment, tightening his arms around her body and surprising Lorelai when he pulled her into a hug. She smiled further while taking the opportunity to bury her face in the crock of his neck, then closing her eyes to breath in the scent of cologne mixed with the aroma of burgers and coffee.

Luke held her close with his chin propped at the top of her head as he, without realizing, swayed their bodies back and forth just a little bit.

"You win," he gave in a minute later.

Lorelai smiled while peaking up at him. "Pick me up at 6:00?"

He nodded.

"Thank you," Lorelai whispered before kissing his neck.

"You're welcome," Luke returned, his words gruff while he pulled her closer, if that were possible.

_Later_

_Kim's Antique's_

"That took a while."

Rory nodded in agreement. "They're gonna meet me at the festival."

"You're going with Sookie?"

"Yeah," Rory said as they climbed the stairs to her room.

"I can't go," Lane complained through a sigh.

"You never can. Your mom's so strict," Rory whispered.

"She doesn't want me anywhere near that punch. Or any alcohol at all. Or Kirk."

"He musta had a weird childhood," Rory speculated through a wrinkle of her nose while following Lane into her room.

"Mama says he's missing chromosomes or something."

"Probably."

"So you're really okay with your mom dating Luke?" Lane asked while propping a chair in front of the closed door.

"Yeah," Rory said through a shrug. "They both really like each other."

"What about your dad?"

"I don't know," the young Gilmore confessed while going to the closest. "I don't think mom likes him the way she likes Luke. She says she's not in love with him."

"And she's in love with Luke?" Lane wondered while plopping down on the fuzzy rug.

"I don't think so. Not yet anyway."

"I wonder what'll happen when your dad comes back," Lane commented while pulling her backpack in front of her.

"_If _he comes back," Rory corrected while claiming the bean bag chair. "I hope he does, but maybe he's not supposed to be with us. He can't even come when he promises he would... Luke keeps his promises. Like when he said he'd fix my book shelf. He even took care of me when I was sick... my dad's never even seen me while I was sick," she explained with her eyes on the floor. "I just hope everything goes okay. I don't wanna lose Luke.

Lane nodded in agreement then after a moment of silence she said, "he does make killer fries."

Rory smiled.

_The Inn_

"Yeah, Kara's been working the desk when I'm not here.... Are you sure, Mia? Because I think we can handle things until Lisa comes back... Oh, wow, really? I didn't realize she was that sick... At least two more weeks?... Okay, yeah, I'll get someone from the temp agency... We miss you too, Mia... Okay, tell everyone we said hi... Bye, Mia."

After hanging up with her boss, Lorelai redialed, this time calling the temp agency to get in a temporary worker who could cover the desk with her until Lisa was feeling better.

After hearing that the agency had a man who would be able to come in as early as that day, much to Lorelai's surprise, the Gilmore blew out a breath of relief. She was greatful for the help, so she welcomed him to come the moment he could. She needed someone else with her at the desk so Kara could go back to her concierge duties and fully focus on that.

_Kitchen_

"Coffee," Lorelai called while dragging her feet through the room.

"I just heard!"

"Heard what?"

"You're going with Luke to the firelight festival!"

Lorelai turned to Sookie with furrowed brows. "How could you possibly know about that?"

"Oh, Kirk was in the bathroom and he heard you and Luke talking in the storage room. You're going to the festival with Luke!" the chef cheered.

Lorelai sighed while falling down on a stool. "Great. That's just great."

"What's wrong? Did you not want me to know?" Sookie panicked.

"No, no, you're fine; it's everyone else."

"What do you mean?"

"It's probably all over town by now and come festival time, everyone will be staring and pointing like we're monkeys at the zoo," Lorelai explained while reaching to pour herself some coffee.

"Oh, right," Sookie realized while mixing a salad together. "Well, you know, maybe it won't be that bad. After all, there'll be dancers and a big fire and food and a D.J and punch and oh, hey, you can always get everyone drunk! Then they'll be walkin' around, fallin' down, laughin', havin' a good time! They won't even notice you and Luke!"

Lorelai managed a small smile for her friend. "Somehow I think even drunk, Patty can sniff out the gossip. I'll just have to keep this quiet from Luke. If he finds out everyone knows, I'm screwed. Can you help me spread that around? Don't tell Luke."

"Sure, sweetie," Sookie promised with a smile.

Lorelai flashed a greatful one back. "I'm gonna call Patty. She'll have it all over town within the hour."

"Good idea."

_Friday_

Lorelai's plan did in fact work. When she called Patty earlier that week, the woman made sure that no one mentioned to Luke that the date was known. The town was told to play it cool. And the rest of the week went by until finally, Friday came.

"How do I look?" Lorelai asked worriedly while adjusting her black skirt, pulling it just a bit higher up her thighs. "Have I achieved that right amount of slutyness without crossing over to full on whore?"

"Yes," Sookie said through her giggles. "You look hot! He's gonna love you!" she boosted.

Lorelai squealed excitedly while grabbing her coat, her shoes, then swinging for the hall and zooming down the stairs with Sookie right behind her.

"Wow," Rory awed from the couch when she caught sight of her mother. "You look pretty."

"Thanks, sweets," Lorelai said through a smile while sitting down on the last step to slip into her shoes.

"Where you guys going?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me."

"Probably somewhere romantic," Sookie gushed.

"Probably somewhere with a bar so he can watch the big game," Lorelai grumped.

"What big game?"

"I don't know; whatever stupid sport is in season now," Lorelai dismissed while standing up then going to the mirror to check herself one last time.

Lorelai checked her make up, making sure her eyeliner was perfect, then ran a brush through her curls to loosen them a bit. She then took a step back to take in the whole picture. Weather thrown to the wind, she wore her lowest v-neck powder blue tank top that showed off just enough clevage to be appreciated but not too much where she'd get dollar bills stuffed between her boobs. Over the tank, she wore a cute little black cardigan. Then of course, her lucky black skirt, the length, or lack there of, was one of it's many strengths. On her feet were her tall boots that Luke requested she wear. And so she did.

After giving her boobs a quick push in the right direction, she left with Rory and Sookie behind her.

_Square_

"You'll listen to Sookie?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm not a five year old. I won't run into the fire or anything."

"I know, but I'm a mom. I have to cover my basis here," Lorelai explained while zipping her daughter's jacket up a little further.

"We'll be fine," Sookie assure her friend. "Now go, go."

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Lorelai surrendered before kissing Rory's cheek. "We'll meet up in an hour or two, kay, babe?"

Rory nodded. "Be good."

Now it was Lorelai's turn to roll her eyes. "I'll try."

_Sniffy's_

"Thank you, kind sir."

Luke nodded while holding the door open to allow his date inside.

"Come on, this way," he said while pointing his arm out in direction.

"But it says we have to wait to-"

"Lucas!"

"Hey, Maisy."

"Couldn't wait for me to seat ya, huh?" the older woman teased while guiding them to a table.

"I tried to get him to wait but the man has zero patience."

"I think you're mixing me up with you."

"You must be Lorelai," Maisy greeted with a smile. "I'm Maisy. We've heard a lot about you."

Lorelai quirked her brows while looking at Luke. "Really?"

The man just shrugged.

"Well, I had to ask a few questions. When Buddy told me our boy was bringing a girl over, I grilled him until I found out everything about you, down to your favorite color," Maisy said with a big smile.

"Oh, wow, I-"

Maisy interrupted. "Just had to make sure you were one of the good ones. I figured ya had to be. Lucas doesn't bring his girls here, so I knew there was something special about you."

"Maisy, shouldn't you be back there with Buddy" Luke asked quickly.

"Oh, he's coming out," the woman waved off. "Now, sit, sit."

Lorelai was first to slide into the booth, then after she was settled, Luke took a seat at the end of the booth.

"Where is she?" a wondering voice demanded.

"Keep your pants on; she's right here," Maisy said.

"Lorelai?" Buddy called hopefully once he reached the table.

"The one and only," she announced with a big smile. "Well, no, that's not true; there's one before and after me, but odds are I'm the only one in this room, if that counts," she reasoned through a shrug.

"Well, Lorelai the second, it's a pleasure to meet you," the older man said with a sweet smile while holding his hand out for a shake.

"Very nice to meet you too, Buddy," Lorelai returned with an equal smile.

"Do you like garlic?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, uh," Lorelai stammared while looking to Luke, who gave her a nod. "Yeah, I like garlic."

"And tomatoes? Marinara sauce?"

"She likes pasta, Buddy," Luke said.

Lorelai grinned and added, "oh yeah, carbs and I get along real well."

"Good; your food will just be five minutes," he promised before turning to hurry back to the kitchen.

"He's been thinking about what to make you two all week," Maisy explained through a roll of the eyes.

Lorelai smiled and said, "I love your place."

"Used to be a whore house."

"Oh, wow."

"I like that it has a tarty history. The best places do."

"And the best people," Lorelai added.

"The best people... I like that," Maisy decided. "I'll leave you two kids alone. Someone will be back with your drinks."

"Beer for me," Luke requested.

"You're at a ballgame, you have a beer. You're on a date, you drink champagne. You're getting champagne," she warned before turning for the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled broadly at Luke and said, "they know you."

Luke nodded. "I've known Bud and Maisy my whole life. Maisy went to school with my mom."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They were good friends. And then when my dad died, I'm lucky Buddy was around to show me the ropes. I wouldn't have the diner if it weren't for him."

Lorelai reached across the table to cover Luke's hand with her own. "That's sweet."

The man nodded while peaking up to smile at her. "I come here a lot, at least two, three times a week."

"Oh my God. Luke has a Luke's."

Luke smiled and said, "I, um, I was hoping that, you know, if you're ever free that you, maybe you could, you know, come with me sometimes. Come here with me," he added.

Lorelai gave his hand a squeeze while her smile spread further. "I would love to."

"Yeah?" he asked hopefully.

Lorelai nodded while turning to find Buddy and Maisy talking behind the desk. "They seem like great people.

"They are."

"I bet when you lost your mom, Maisy was there trying to act like one for you."

"She was," he confirmed while his gaze fell to the table.

Lorelai looked back at her date. "Name the morning, the afternoon, the evening, anytime you want, and I'll be here with you," she promised.

"Thanks," Luke said, the words gruff but sincere.

"You're welcome," she whispered.

_XXX_

"You come back now, ya hear?" Maisy teased while handing Lorelai a bag filled with leftovers from their meals.

Lorelai wore a broad grin while shrugging into her coat.

"Don't let Lucas keep you away. I don't wanna see you comin' in here alone anymore," Maisy warned. "You have a girl now, you bring her."

"I will," Luke promised.

"He gives you any trouble, you just call me," Buddy offered while holding his arms open for a hug.

Lorelai smiled. "I'll put you on speed dial," she said while hugging the older man.

"Oh, and here. Luke said you like chocolate," Buddy said while handing her a small carton.

Her gaze lite up. "Hoyeah, chocolate and I go way back."

Luke sighed at her wide, eager eyes. "You had desert ten minutes ago."

"And by the time we get back to Stars Hollow, I'll be hungry again and oh, lookie here, something chocolate and delicious sitting right in my hands! What are the odds?! It's fate I tell you! Fate!"

"Jeez," Luke grumbled.

_Stars Hollow_

"Can't you at least wait until you get a fork?"

Lorelai shook her head while breaking a piece of double chocolate fudge cake, then popping the square into her mouth. "Mmm."

"Stop."

"Good!" she proclaimed in defense.

Luke just looked away. He couldn't watch the massacre.

"Mom! You're back!"

"Ory!"

"Chew. Swallow," Luke said dully.

Lorelai pulled a big grin while swallowing thickly then quickly handing the carton to Luke so she could hold her arms open to Rory.

"How was it? Where'd you go? What'd you have? What'd Luke have? Is it close by? Have we eaten there before? Do they have tacos?" Rory fired away while running to her mom.

Lorelai smiled at the journalist to be standing before her. "We went to this place called Sniffy's Tavern."

"Where is that?"

"Litchfield," Luke offered.

"It's a really nice place, but I'm afraid they don't have tacos," Lorelai reported through a frown.

"What'd you eat?"

"Her usual mounds of sugar and carbs."

"And I loved every bit of it," Lorelai said primly.

"Left overs?" Rory questioned.

The older Gilmore peaked over her shoulder at Luke for him to hold up the bag.

"You had fun?"

Lorelai gave a wide smile. "Yes, a lot of fun."

Rory looked passed her mom to find Luke and ask, "Did you have fun too?"

The man nodded while wearing a shy smile.

"So you're gonna go out again, right?" the pre teen asked anxiously.

"Yeah. As long as your mom wants to."

Rory snapped to Lorelai. "Do you?"

"Oh yeah I do," she said enthusiastically. "Especially if there's cake," she said while snatching the carton back.

Luke just sighed.

_XXX_

"No matches."

"They always forget them."

"Every year," Lorelai said through a sigh as as she and Luke walked across the square. "So I was thinking."

"Yeah?"

"I think you should pin me up agianst the gazebo and kiss me senseless," she said with the biggest grin.

"And I think you had too much punch."

"Luke!" she whined.

"Not here," he growled.

"Why not?"

"People are watching."

"Not a fan of PDA, huh?"

"Nope."

"Fine," Lorelai grumped. "Can we at least hold hands?"

Luke answered by taking her hand and twining his fingers between hers.

Lorelai gave a brilliant smile. "Thank you."

Luke nodded while squeezing her hand a bit.

They walked along for a few minutes, looking around, taking in the festival when the diner came into view.

"Just so you know," Lorelai started in a whisper, "when we get up there," she said while pointing to his apartment, "kissing, and lots of it."

"Planned on it."

"Good man."

_XXX_

"I hear they went to a strip club," Babbette whispered to her posse.

"Whore house, but close," Lorelai said in passing.

"Oh, hey, sugah," Babette stammered through a nervous laugh. "We were just, we uh-"

"Were being the town gossips'. Carry on," Lorelai invited with a smile while keeping on her journey to the food carts.

Meanwhile, Luke was sitting in the Gazebo next to Rory, the man fidgeting nervously in his seat. He kept turning his head, looking back at his apartment, looking down at his watch. It was almost ten. The bon fire's been lite for a while, they walked around, said hi to everyone. He knew they would be leaving soon.

"Are you okay?" Rory asked.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine," he covered quickly.

"You know, you don't have to be worried about mom. She's having a good time," Rory assured him, thinking that was the problem. "Trust me, I know when she's happy and she's happy," the pre teen explained with a smile while swinging her legs back and foth.

"Good, good; I'm glad she's happy."

"Rory!" Come on!" Lane shouted from her lawn.

"Oh, gotta go; I'm sleeping over Lane's. Tell mom I said bye?"

Luke nodded.

"And tell her to save me a pretzel! Bye!"

Luke watched as the girl flew down the gazebo, almost tripping on the last step before running across the street and meeting up with Lane. When the girls met, they hugged, giggled, then ran inside.

"And then there were two."

Luke turned to find Lorelai behind him. "Hey."

"Hey. Got you a pretzel. The only thing I could find that was the healthiest of the bnuch. You'll have to excuse the salt," Lorelai said through a grin while sitting down next to him.

Luke nodded mutely while taking the food from her.

"So, things are starting to die down here. You wanna head back to your place soon? I'm dying to see your apartment."

"Oh, uh, yeah, you can see it. My apartment," he added quickly.

"Finally, I get to see the batcave."

"The batcave?"

Lorelai shrugged. "You come up with a better name."

"No name isn't an option?"

"Nope."

"The batcave it is."

_Diner_

Of course, the diner was empty when Luke opened the door for Lorelai who sped right in and headed straight for the coffee machine.

"I've missed you, old friend," she gushed while wrapping her arms around the machine to hug it.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Like you never had coffee before," he mumbled under his breath.

"Hey, Mr. Coffee and I have a special bond and no one, not even Mrs. Coffee can come between us."

"I'm not even gonna ask."

"That's probably wise," she said with a nod. "You rest up and I'll see you tomorrow," she cooed to the machine before heading for the curtain. "Can I see it? Can I see it? Can I see it?" she asked while bouncing from foot to foot.

Luke couldn't help but grin. "Go on up; it's unlocked."

Luke squealed in delight while turning on her heel then hurrying up the stairs, her boots banging against every one of them as she went.

After taking a breath, Luke followed her.

Lorelai swung the door wide open, but walked in carefully and slowly, like she was afraid of getting caught or something. But when she heard Luke coming up behind her, she gained momentum and walked further inside.

"So, what do you think?"

"It's... cozy."

Luke laughed. "It's small, I know."

"Totally not what I was picturing," she said while looking around.

"You've been picturing my apartment?" he asked with an amused smirk.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Where do you sleep?"

"Been picturing that too, huh?"

"Yes, I stay up all night thinking about what Luke's bedroom looks like; I just toss and turn for hours thinking about it," she said sarcastically.

"Over there," Luke said with a pointed finger.

Lorelai walked further into the kitchen then stopped when she saw a twin bed up agianst the wall.

"You plus one can fit in that thing? Just _you_ can fit in that thing?"

"I hope so," he mumbled under his breath. "I had a bigger one but I got rid of it. You know, after Rachel left. Wanted to start over and everything."

Lorelai nodded in understanding. "Shoulda sprung for a full size, Lucas. You know what they say about a guy in a small bed."

"What?"

"Never date him."

"What? Why?"

"Because a twin bed says I'm not open to commitment. It says there's no room for anyone but me in my life."

"No, it says there's no room for anyone but me in my bed."

"Okay, see, that's not a whole lot better."

Luke sighed while carrying two beers. "Here."

"Thanks. Cheers?"

They clicked their bottles together in a toast, then booth took sips.

"So your place is nice," Lorelai said after a moment of silence passed.

Luke shrugged. "It's okay."

"Bathroom looks good."

"Yup."

"Kitchen looks promising."

"Yup."

"Window's in a good spot. Got a nice view of the town."

"Yup."

"Kissing now?"

"Yup."

And with the beer bottle still in hand, Luke hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her close and finding her lips. He then proceeded to do what she requested of him earlier. He kissed her senseless. In fact, so senseless that she fell back on the bed.

"Oh, comfy," Lorelai said through her giggles after bouncing on the mattress.

Luke smiled while towering over her, planting his leg between hers then continuing his assault on her warm skin. He left kisses along her jawline while Lorelai wrapped her arms around his back. Things got heated fast. Jackets were hastily removed while desperate kisses spread along Lorelai's neck; hands sneaked up under clothing, smoothing over Luke's back.

"Feels good," Lorelai breathed as Luke left a trail of burning kisses along her collar bone.

Luke peaked up at her, his lips grinning as they traveled up her neck, his teeth nipping at her soft skin.

"Tryin' to brand me?"

The man nodded wordlessly while staying focused on his task.

"I'll get a 'property of Luke' tattoo tomorrow," she promised while arching into him.

Luke grunted his approval while finding her lips and capturing them in a passionate kiss. But the distraction didn't stop his hands from bunching up her top and spreading his fingers over her belly, much like he did the other day. But this time, there was nothing holding him back. This time, they were completely alone. This time, they were on a date. This time, he had her lying in his bed. And so he was bold. He was daring. He made a move, the low v-neck of her top just begging him to do so.

But when Loerlai felt his lips on her breast, she panicked. Her eyes opened in an instant. She breathed the word 'stop' while trying to catch her breath.

"What's wrong" Luke asked immediately.

Lorelai shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't," she explained while trying to sit up.

Luke backed away, a confused frown on his face as she pulled her top back into place and reached for her coat.

"Lorelai, no, don't go. We don't have to do anything, but please, don't go," he begged. "I'm sorry; I thought you wanted to-"

"I can't stay; I have to pick up Rory; she's at Lane's and I have to get her before it's gets too late, " she explained in a rush.

Luke wanted to say something, anything. He was prepared to do some more begging, but right then, right when she lied to him about Rory, he didn't.

"I'm sorry, Luke, "she apologized, the words low and soft while she stood by the door. "Bye," she called before fleeing.

Luke heard her boots running down the stairs as he sat on the edge of the bed, his mind foggy and confused while he desperately tried to figure out why she lied to him.

_To Be Continued..._

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	26. The Power Of Coffee

_Almost closing in on 300 reviews and 30 chapters, woot, woot! And I thank you wonderful readers who have been helping me get there!! Love you all!!!_

_Enjoy!!!_

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter Twenty Six: The Power of Coffee**

When the alarm clock wailed the next morning, Lorelai flicked it off before the first buzz had a chance to finish. She'd been awake for most of the night. When she came back from Luke's, she only set the alarm out of habit. When she cuddled up underneath the blankets and rested her head on the pillow, she knew she wouldn't need the wake up call. It was just a precaution. And she was right to guess the night would be a restless one. She slept maybe two hours, if the ten minutes here and the half hour there were added up. And every time she awoke, she almost wanted to roll out of bed and go back to Luke's. In fact, she picked up the phone several times to call him, but stopped herself before her fingers dialed his number. She wouldn't even know what to say to him, so she didn't follow through.

Lorelai sighed while rolling over to face the ceiling. She focused her gaze on the plain white paint while her mind drifted back to the possibly great night she almost had.

She was finally with him, alone in his apartment. He was touching her, kissing her, making her feel things she wished she could always feel. He was looking at her like she was special, like she was the only girl in the world. He wanted her; and what did she do? She ran away. She ruined it.

"Why?" Lorelai whispered to the quiet room.

But before Lorelai could receive silence as an answer, the phone rang. Her heart immediatly jumped at the sound. She thought maybe it was Luke.

"Hello?" she answered cautiously .

"Morning, mom," Rory called brightly.

Lorelai blew out a releived, dissapointed breath. "Hey, hon."

"You don't sound tired," the young Gilmore noted through a grown frown, knowing that her mother was never a morning person. "But you sound sad. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine; I just didn't sleep well last night," Lorelai explained while pushing her hair from her face and sitting up agianst the headboard.

"Oh. How come?"

"Oh, you know, just one of those nights."

Rory nodded while turning to tell Lane she'd be there in a minute. Her friend was calling her over for breakfast.

"Why are you up so early anyway?" Lorelai wondered as she slid from the bed, her barefoot touching down on the cold floor, sending shivers up her spine ."It's a sleepover and you're up like it's a school day."

"You know Mrs. Kim. She always wakes us up early."

"Right, right," Lorelai realized while heading for the bathroom to shower. "I assume she's taking you to church too?"

"Yeah," Rory confirmed through a nod while using her free hand to brush her hair. "She says I need to be more in touch with the Lord or something."

Lorelai resisted the urge to say 'dirty' knowing that was highly inappropriate, but couldn't help a grin from taking her lips as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

"Okay, babe I have to go; I have that meeting at the Inn. I'll pick you up later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye mom."

After taking a long shower, Lorelai dressed for work in dark jeans, a blue top, and a blazer, then headed to the kitchen for breakfast. But when she reached the coffee machine, the routine she had going came to a stop.

The coffee machine made her of course, think of coffee; coffee made her think of Luke; Luke made her think of their date last night; and their date last night made her think about its premature ending, which brought her back to Luke. She figured he was probably mad, or at least upset, and she knew it wasn't because she didn't put out, but because she bolted without much of an explanation. Sure, she offered her daughter as an excuse, but that sounded lame, even as she said the words aloud. Plus it was a lie. Her daughter didn't even spend the night home with her. She ran back to an empty house.

Lorelai glared at the stupid coffee machine before turning away to grab a poptart from the cabinet, a water bottle from the fridge, then she turned on her heel to head out the door, but not before grabbing her purse and keys on the way out.

_The Inn_

After sitting through a boring, nearly hour long meeting, Lorelai dragged her feet through the kitchen.

"Coffee, please God, tell me there's coffee," Lorelai prayed, her body suffering through withdrawal because she skipped her morning dose.

Sookie turned to frown at her friend. "We're running out, sweetie. We might not have enough for the rest of the day. The new shipment is late."

"What? Why? How? Who? I-coffee- I- oh, God," Lorelai panicked while falling to a stool.

"Things didn't go well last night, did they?" Sookie guessed.

Lorelai shook her head before her face fell to her folded arms that rested on the counter.

"What happened, honey?" Sookie asked while rubbing her hand across Lorelai's back. "Things seemed good after diner. Did something happen after? Can Luke not do it?"

Lorelai tilted her face up to find Sookie grinning at her. The Gilmore couldn't help but pull a tiny smile in return.

"Judging by his reaction when I left, I'm pretty sure he can."

"You didn't stick around to find out?"

Lorelai shook her head before hiding her face again.

"Was it Luke? Did he try and um, you know, pressure you or anything?" Sookie asked awkwardly.

"No," Lorelai's muffled voice answered.

"But things were headed in that direction?"

Lorelai nodded.

"But you left?"

Lorelai nodded.

"You didn't leave him standing there naked, did you?"

Lorelai quickly looked up at her friend. "I don't know how big his thing is, Sookie."

"Okay, okay," the chef gave in while tossing her hands up in surrender.

"God, I'm such an idiot," Lorelai complained through a whine.

"What happened, sweetie?" Sookie prodded gently.

"What happened is I freaked out. We were on his bed kissing and all that and everything was good until he touched me and I just... I don't know, I panicked. I mean it's Luke, he's my friend, and he was looking at me like he wanted me and touching me like friends don't touch each other and I don't know what happened. I guess I'm still worried that things won't work out and doing that with him, taking that step... you can't go back from that, Sook; once it happens, it happens. And what if Luke thinks I'm something I'm not? I'm not anywhere near perfect and he'll find that out; he'll see that I screw up; I make mistakes; I don't know what I'm doing... I just... I don't know."

"Honey, no one's perfect," Sookie assured her. "You're not any less perfect than anyone else. Luke knows who you are and he wants you. It's right there, Lorelai. Us single girls dream of finding a guy who will look at us the way Luke looks at you. He's in love with you; he loves your daughter... what more can you ask for?" Sookie asked through a smile.

"But why, Sookie? Why does he love me? What does he see in me?"

"Who knows," Sookie said through a shrug. "Maybe he secretly wishes he could talk as fast as you."

Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"You have to stop thinking about this and do what your heart's telling you. What's your heart saying?"

Lorelai sighed while falling back to the counter.

_Diner_

It was just after 9 a.m; the breakfast rush had come and gone. Lorelai walked into a nearly empty room, only Kirk and Ms. Casini sitting at the counter.

Lorelai stood frozen just in front of the door with nervous eyes looking around for Luke. Part of her wanted to leap into his arms, explain everything, plead a moment of insanity and beg him to look past her crazy and give her another shot. Another part of her wanted to run the other way, go home, curl up in bed and make herself wake up from the dream she was in. Something told her this couldn't be real. Luke wanting her didn't make sense. She couldn't figure out the why. She couldn't rationalize it and that bugged her.

Unfortunetly, Lorelai didn't have time to make a decision.

She heard him coming. His boots banged against every stair as he flew down from his apartment. Before she could even decide on fight or flight, he appeared from the curtain. He saw her; she saw him; their eyes met.

No one said anything for 22 seconds. On the 23rd, Lorelai opened her mouth to say something- what that something was, she wasn't sure- but Luke beat her to the punch.

"Lorelai," he croaked, the word backed by confusion.

"Hi," she managed.

"What are you- did I- do you- do you want coffee?"

Lorelai nodded wordlessly.

"Okay," Luke said while walking behind the counter and heading for the coffee machine to make a strong batch. She liked her coffee strong, that fact he knew all too well.

Lorelai sat down at her usual spot in front of the register just as Kirk and Ms. Casini were getting up. Apparently, as of recently, Kirk found a new job escorting seniors to and from Bingo at the Catholic Church/Jewish Temple.

They're leaving was something Luke and Lorelai were very aware of. With the room being so quiet, the two heard every sound- their stools being pushed in, their feet walking across the floor, Kirk zipping up his jacket, the door swinging open. There was no other noise or words to hide it.

Luke stood in front of Lorelai with his back to her and his hard gaze on the coffee maker, willing the machine to brew faster.

Lorelai knew it was ridiculous. She knew she should open her mouth and say something. She knew she needed to explain, but he wouldn't even look at her.

Lorelai sighed in fustration, the sound escaping her lips before she could stop it. The sound catching Luke's attention.

"What?" he asked after turning to her.

"What?"

"Did you say something?"

"No."

"Oh," he murmured through furrowed brows. "Thought you did," he said while turning back to his post.

Lorelai resisted the ruge to blow out a relieved breath.

Another long minute went and the coffee was finally done.

"Here," Luke announced before sliding the cup to her.

Lorelai caught it in her waiting hands. "Thanks."

"Yup," he said before turning away.

Lorelai watched him go. When he was gone from sight, she looked down at her full mug. The coffee was the same color it always was. It gave away the same aroma it always did. Even after she fled on their first date without much word, he still made her coffee the exact way she liked it. He didn't give her old, cold, crappy tasting coffee, but the real thing. And seeing the coffee the way she liked it, it somehow showed her that he was right. He would always be there, standing on the other side of the counter, pouring her coffee, making it just the way she liked it. That fact gave her the guts to stand up and dare cross into the forbidden zone.

"Luke?" she called while peaking into the kitchen. Nothing.

Lorelai turned around and headed for the storage room while calling for him. He didn't answer, but she found him unloading a box.

"What are you doing back here?" he asked from in front of a shelf where he stood, putting away ketchup bottles.

"Can we talk?"

"About what?"

"Luke, please."

"There's nothing to talk about. You don't want this. But you shoulda said something a while ago."

"You gave me coffee."

He turned to look at her with a face that showed he was more than confused. "What?"

"You said that no matter what, you'd always be here. I didn't think that could be true, but you're right. You gave me coffee," she said simply, like that explained it all.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded out of fustration.

Lorelai sighed while walking further into the room. She took the ketchup bottle from his hand, put it back in the box, then asked him a question.

"Do you hate me right now?"

"What? No; why would I hate you?"

"For the way I left last night. For giving you all the signs, then bolting."

Luke sighed."That isn't a reason to hate you. I couldn't hate you, Lorelai."

"Exactly!" she exclaimed.

Of course Luke was still lost. "What?"

"Sit," she ordered while gesturing to the bench next to them.

Luke took a seat next to her, keeping his eyes ahead of him while waiting for her to explain.

Lorelai took a breath before starting. "Okay, Luke, the truth is, I didn't need to get home to Rory last night, I-"

"I know."

"What?"

"Before we went to my place, Rory told me she was sleeping at Lane's."

Lorelai groaned.

"You didn't have to lie, Lorelai. You could've just left. I wasn't happy that you went, but lying made it worse. Felt like you were hiding something from me or something," he said while looking down at his boots. "Like you, I don't know, agreed to this whole thing just to humor me or something."

"I got scared, Luke, so I ran. I didn't say yes to anything to humor you. I want us, I just... well it's more than just worrying about what could happen if we, you know, don't work out; not that I'm scared about that cause I'm not anymore, not really. I think we can always be friends."

"We can," he said firmly.

Lorelai smiled a little.

"Then what is it? Was that the only reason you left?"

Lorelai shook her head while her eyes waundered to the floor. "I... I, um... well... I haven't..."

"You haven't what?" Luke prodded.

Loerlai closed her eyes before saying, "the last time I had sex was when I got pregnant with Rory," she confessed, speaking the words quickly, then keeping her eye hidden while waiting on edge for his reaction.

"So?" he asked after a moment of her silence.

She turned to look at him."So?"

"What, you thought I would be mad that you didn't sleep with other guys? I'm glad it's just the one," he added shyly.

"But it's been over a decade since I've slept with someone, Luke. I'm a little out of practice, wouldn't you say? And I'm sure you've been with other girls. You have more experience."

"Nope. Just Rachel."

"You don't have to lie to me, Luke. Tell me the truth. How many notches you got in your bed post?"

Luke rolled his eyes."Rachel was the only girl I was serious with, okay? So we're even."

"But it hasn't been forever since you've been with a girl."

"I don't care, Lorelai. And if you want to wait another decade, we'll wait. I just wanna, you know, be with you," he explained shyly with his attention on the floor.

"You'd wait a decade for me?" she asked in awe.

He shrugged. "Sure."

"Oh, boy; you really do love me, don't you?"

He nodded.

"God help you."

He nodded.

**TBC...**

**I suck, I know; I took way too long to get this chapter out, but it's here and hopefully it was loved. Please don't blame the poor chapter for my lack of timely updating skills, lol. So how 'bout showin' the love and leavin' a review? :D. **


	27. Makin' Out, Makin' Whoopee

_Thanks a bunch for the kind comments regarding the last chapter! They mean a lot! :D_

_Enjoy!_

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 27: Makin' Out; Makin' Whoopee**

_(Late February)_

_Square_

"You think they'll do it tonight?" Babbette rasped.

"I saw Lorelai by the condoms in Doose's. Maybe she was picking some up for Luke," Patty speculated through a wicked grin while lighting her early morning cigeratte.

"Nope. I saw her check out; she had some kinda medicine," Bootsy threw in absentmindedly as he read his horoscope.

"That's right, poor doll's got allegeries."

Mrs. Cassini nodded at Babette's comment before asking, "isn't she on the pill?"

"Yeah!" Babette screeched.

"My money's on tonight," Mrs. Cassini said decidedly

Babette nodded urgently while pulling out a notepad from her purse.

"Gotcha down for tonight. Bootsy, ya want a day?"

"Tonight."

"How much?"

"Twenty."

"Give it here, sweetheart," Patty demanded while holding one hand out for the cash and using the other to take a drag.

Without looking up, Bootsy slipped a 20 from his pocket, then slapped it into Patty's hand, who then proceeded to collect Mrs. Cassini's money.

"Patty, you still want tonight?"

"Yes."

"Kirk think sthey'll wait for Lorelai's birthday. Not in this lifetime!" Babette boosted. "Poor guy's gonna walk away with nothing."

"Who else has today?" Mrs. Cassini asked.

"Let's see, there's us, Gypsy, Anna, Joe, Harry, Lisa, and Tilly. But I'm thinkin' about movin' Tilly to another day. I'm sicka that damn woman gettin' the dirt before we do!"

"Amen!" the girls echoed.

Meanwhile, across the street at the diner, the Gilmore girls were dragging their feet through the door with big, hungry eyes and groaning bellys.

"I can't believe we ran outta poptarts; what happened?"

"_Casablanca_ happened."

"That's right, we were supposed to go last night," Lorelai whined while falling to the counter, then sliding her weak body onto a stool.

"Hey. The usual?" Luke asked after popping out from the kitchen.

Rory nodded before her face fell to her folded arms that rested on the counter.

"Extra everything," Lorelai added. "The strongest coffee you got; don't skimp on the sugar," she warned.

Luke looked between mother and daughter with furrowed brows and confusion in his eyes. "You two not sleep or something?"

"No more poptarts!" Lorelai exclaimed with her face slumped in the palm of her hand, her elbow holding her arm up.

"What?"

"We didn't go shopping last night," Rory translated pathetically.

"But... you came _here_ for breakfast," Luke said.

"Yeah, for breakfast," Lorelai agreed.

Luke waited a beat, then looked to Rory. He taped the girl's arm and she looked up to say,"we didn't have our pre-breakfasts."

"Pre-breakfast? So you're telling me you have breakfast at _home_ before coming _here_ to have breakfast?" They both nodded. "That's crazy."

"We need to eat so we have energy to walk here to eat," Lorelai explained.

"Then drive. You have a car."

"Driving requires energy too, Lucas."

Luke huffed a fustrated breath while throwing his rag down on the counter. "Do you ever get full?" he demanded.

"I don't know; do we?"

Rory shrugged.

Lorelai turned back to Luke. "What's the hold up? Why am I still hungry? I should've cleared a plate by now."

Luke sighed, but none the less, he turned to the kitchen.

"You're both getting oatmeal while you wait for pancakes!"

"We hate oatmeal!" Lorelai shouted.

"I don't care! Eat it or no pancakes!"

"Your boyfriend's bossy," Rory complained.

Lorelai nodded in agreement, but she couldn't help a small smile from tugging at her lips.

_The Inn_

"Everything all set for tomorrow?"

"Yes ma'am," Brett teased.

Lorelai glared at the temp, but her smile gave her away. "You know, I'm not much older than you."

"Four years. Not much at all," he agreed while grinning from ear to ear.

"You call me a cougar and you die," she warned. Brett laughed. "And quit calling me ma'am."

"No problem. Miss. Gilmore."

Lorelai rolled her eye before turning to the kitchen with a smile playing on her face.

The Inn employee reached to open the swinging door, but the chunk of wood didn't move very far before bumping into something.

"Sorry!" Sookie squealed from the other side while jumping back from the door's path, then pulling it open.

With furrowed brows, Lorelai walked through the kitchen to find everyone rushing back to their stations. And then it all clicked.

"You were drooling again, weren't you?"

"He's so cute!" Sookie gushed.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Cute or not, he's not a half naked Greek God answering the phone in a toga; he's not that fascinating;so eyes on the salad bowl and away from the window," she warned.

Sookie frowned while turning back to the counter, "Not fair that you get to look at him all day and I don't. I mean have you seen those dimples! I could just pinch his cheeks!"

"I don't look at him all day."

"Oh, please! I've caught him staring at you so many times. He wants you, and you don't exactly brush him off when he smiles at you."

Lorelai shrugged and said, "I hired him, Sook; of course I have to talk to him and talking to him means looking at him. Kinda rude not to make eye contact when talking to someone. Just ask Miss Manners; she'll totally back me up."

"So you're telling me that you don't think he's cute?" Sookie challenged.

Lorelai shook her head.

"You're only saying that cause you have to, 'cause you're with Luke."

"Look, he's not hard on the eyes, okay? But yes, I have Luke. I'm not looking at other guys; I'm looking at Luke. So dimples or not, I'm not interested."

"I am," Kaylee said in passing.

"I second that!" another woman called.

"Hey! Back to work!" a loud, male voice shouted while coming through the back door. Quickly, everyone focused back on their tasks.

"Lorelai, why are you here? You're disrupting everyone. Leave."

"Careful, Eddy," Lorelai warned while turning to the coffee pot. "Assistant manager now, remember? I could have you fired for smoking in the back, which I know you were doing. Might wanna stay away from fans next time," she cautioned before turning on her heel and leaving with a steaming mug of coffee in her hands, all the while a big grin sitting on her face.

Eddy frowned before jumping back from the fan as the rest of the kitchen tried to keep from laughing.

_Stars Hollow High_

"And we're offically on winter break," Lane announced as the school poured out into the square.

"Wonder why we had a half day," Rory murmured thoughtfully.

Lane shrugged. "Teacher meetings, I think. Anyway, you're coming over later, right? For the wedding?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Rory promised. "I just have a swim lesson with Luke first, but I'll meet you at your house later."

"Okay. Say hi to your mom for me!" Lane called while hurrying in front of her best friend to get home.

"Bye!"

Rory took her time walking to the diner, keeping her pace slow so her mind could work easily. The 12 year old took the few minutes to mentally organize her schedule. She planned out what homework she would do on what days. She had a week off from school for the snowy season, but plenty of work to keep her busy, so she wanted to make sure to use her free time wisely.

_Diner _

Luke looked up when the bells jingled and like every other time they sounded, he fought from stomping over there and ripping the stupid thing from his door. He knew though that if he did that, Lorelai would just go out and buy him a bigger, louder one.

Luke sighed, knowing he couldn't win.

"Hey, Luke," Rory greeted through a smile while sliding onto her favorite stool

"Hey. Lunch?"

"Yes, please."

"Usual?"

Rory nodded while hiking her backpack up on the stool next to her. She propped the back to the rim of the counter, then quickly pulled out a notebook to write down her schedule before she could forget.

"Your mom called; she'll be here soon."

"Mom's coming?"

Luke nodded.

"I thought she had to work."

Luke shrugged. "She said something about taking a long lunch. She wants to come since she missed the last one."

"Oh. Okay," Rory said before turning back to the blank page in front of her.

Luke looked at her carefully. "You do want your mom to come, right?"

"Yes," Rory answered shortly without looking up.

Luke nodded while trying to figure out what the girl's tone meant as he turned for the kitchen.

_The Y_

"Can you watch my stuff, mom? I have my school books in there."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be okay here," Lorelai started while sitting her big monkey purse down at the foot of the bleachers. "I think I'm gonna swim with you guys today. We'll just leave Luke's big manly duffel bag incharge. You'll watch our stuff, right, Duffy?"

"If you're expecting it to answer you, then I'm cancelling tonight," Luke warned gruffly.

"Tonight? What's tonight?" Rory questioned. "Are we going out?"

"Oh, hon, about that-"

"I'll be over there," Luke interrupted while pointing a finger at the pool.

Lorelai nodded before focusing back on her daughter. "I forgot to tell you yesterday, but Luke and I made plans for a second date tonight."

"Can I come? You said I could come on your second date."

Lorelai shook her head. "Sweets, I think it's just gonna be me and Luke tonight," Lorelai countered gently. "Our first try didn't go as smoothly as planned, so tonight's a sort of redo," she explained.

"Oh," Rory realized as her face fell.

"I know you wanted to come, and I want you to, but Luke and I need to get it right before we start extending the invitation. I figured tonight would be a good night since you'll be at Lane's anyway for that wedding. Mrs. Kim said you could sleep over, but if you don't want to, I can pick you up after the date. We're just going out to dinner, so you're not missing out on anything special, I promise."

Rory nodded. "I need to put my bathing suit on."

"Aw, honey, I'm sorry," Lorelai apologized through a helpless frown.

"It's okay; I understand," Rory said while bending to her bag.

"I'm a sucky mom."

"You're not a sucky mom."

"You know I'm not picking Luke over you, right? Because he'll never come before you. No boy or any other living being will ever come before you," Lorelai assured her daughter.

"I know. I'm gonna go change," Rory said before turning away to walk to the bathroom with her bathing suit held to her chest.

Lorelai sighed in defeat before turning to the pool.

"Hey. She okay?" Luke asked after popping up from underneath the water

"She's upset about tonight. She won't admit it, but I know she is," Lorelai said while approaching him.

"Lorelai, I told you, she can come."

"I know, but I want our do-over," Lorelai whined.

Luke smiled. "Then we'll go out tomorrow night, all 3 of us."

"Can't. I have to work late."

"What about during the week? Rory's off from school, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know her schedule."

"Schedule?" Luke asked while lifting himself from the pool to sit on the ledge with his feet dangling in the water.

"Yeah, for school. Whenever she has a long break like this, she plans out a schedule for when she'll do homework and projects and stuff."

Luke gave her a look.

Lorelai threw her hands up. "If you're asking yourself whether I took home the wrong baby from the hospital, the answer is maybe, because where this high academic achievement/book smarts thing came from, I'll never know," Lorelai said before lifting her shirt away from her body.

Luke was ready to say something back but the words slipped from his mind the very second he saw her B 52's shirt peel away from her flat tummy. His eyes widened a bit further with every move, much like those of a kid in a candy store for the first time.

Lorelai threw her shirt to her bag, then turned to say something to Luke, but stopped when she noticed he was staring.

"What?" she asked self consciously while looking down at her bare belly.

"You- You, uh- You have a- You're coming in?" he asked, knowing she never went in the water with them before.

Lorelai nodded while wrapping her arms around her tummy. "Thought I'd see what all the fuss was about. Is that okay? Or is this something you and Rory-"

"It's okay," Luke blurted. "More than okay," he added with a glint in his eyes that told Lorelai he was enjoying the view, and at the realization, she loosened her arms and put her hands on her hips.

"You like this color?" she asked while peaking down at her bikini top. "I wasn't sure if it went with my skin tone, but I think the blue almost matches my eyes and that counts for something, right?" she asked.

Luke nodded before forcing himself to look away from her chest. He didn't want to get caught starring; so he met her eyes, then quickly looked down at her suit, then back up again before saying, "it matches your eyes."

Lorelai simled hugely with a wicked stare locked on the boy in front of her as she reached to unzip her jeans. She shook the denuim from her hips, slid her pants across the floor to her bag, then bent to sit down next to Luke.

"Hi," she said with a bright smile while swinging her legs back and forth in the water.

"Hi," Luke said before forcing down a breath.

Lorelai smiled further. "So, should we get in the water now, or continue this flirting thing we got goin' on? I'm okay either way," she said nonchalantly while shrugging at her words.

Luke quickly pushed himself away from the ledge and into the water. He then walked the two feet to get to her and stood between her parted legs. Lorelai smiled a happy grin when he planted his hands on either side of her body. Luke smiled back as their gazes locked.

"Hi," Lorelai whispered.

"Hi," Luke whispered back.

"Kiss?" she asked hopefully .

Luke nodded vigorously before leaning in to touch his eager lips to her soft, waiting ones. They kissed calmy with the thought of their public setting sitting somewhere in the back of their minds. They shared small kisses, each one setting off little sparks in their bodies. For a minute or two, this went on and occasionally, a long kiss lingered for seconds and each time one broke out, heat waves washed over them. Soon enough, Lorelai wound her arms around his neck and Luke's hands glided over her thighs. They were going from PG to PG-13 quicky, both adults seemingly having forgotten where they were. That is until reality checked in.

"Um, Mom?" Rory asked hesitantly.

They broke away instantly, both panting for air.

"Rory," Lorelai awed in realization as Luke scrambled away from her. "I, um- we were just-"

"Kissing?" the 12 year old filled in.

Lorelai sighed. "Yeah. Guess we got a little carried away... I think I'm just gonna change and head back to the Inn while you guys have your lesson. The sooner I get back to work, the earlier I get off later," she reasond while getting to her feet. "Have fun, babe. Bye, Luke," she said through swollen lips while a light blush colored her cheeks as she rushed around to grab her things.

"Bye," Luke murmured.

Once the eldest Gilmore was gone, Luke turned to Rory. "So, uh, you ready?" he asked uncomfortably. He didn't like that she had caught them making out.

Rory nodded wordlessly.

"Okay. Then, uh, lets pick up where we left off last time."

_Later_

_Lane's_

Rory and Lane stood in the young girl's room, on either side of the soon to be married Kim. Lane's cousin was doing her other cousin's make up as the two pre-teens talked. Lucky for them, neither Kim adult spoke english, so they were free to say whatever they wanted without worrying about information getting leaked to Mama Kim.

"I wonder what it's like."

"What?"

"Kissing a boy."

"Judging from Mom and Luke, I'd say good."

Lane winced. "Was it weird after your Mom left?"

Rory nodded. "Luke wouldn't look me in the eye the whole time. I think he was embarrassed."

"You caught him making out with your mom. He probably was."

Rory nodded. "They're going on their second date tonight."

"But I thought you were going with them?"

"Me too. But Mom said something about a do-over, so I guess the first one wasn't that good; I don't know."

"I'm sorry."

Rory just shrugged.

"Well, if it's a do-over, then you'll probably go on the next one, right?"

Rory nodded.

Lane frowned at her friend. "Mama said you could stay over tonight, but if you wanna be home with your mom, we can do it another night."

"No, I wanna stay," Rory said, though part of her didn't, but she figured her Mom would probably want to be alone with Luke for as long as she could, so staying with Lane, Rory reasoned, would be better for them.

_Meanwhile_

_The Inn_

"How do I look?" Lorelai asked while doing a little twirl.

"I bet he pulls that skirt down your legs in less than 60 seconds!" Sookie boosted excitedly.

"Considering we'll be in public, let's hope not."

"You look great," Sookie gushed.

"Thanks, hon. I'm gonna go wait in the lobby for Luke. He should be here any minute. You going home?"

Sookie nodded.

"Alright, then I'll see you tomorrow," Lorelai said before leaving the kitchen, but before she could reach the desk for her purse, she found Luke sitting in the lobby.

"Oh, hey. Sorry, I didn't know you were here."

"Just got here," Luke assured her.

Lorelai smiled. "Let me just grab my purse and we'll go."

Luke nodded. He followed behind her, waiting not so patiently on the other side of the desk, then when she crossed in front of him, he reached to take her hand. Lorelai spun into his chest and quickly, Luke hooked his arm around her back.

"Can't keep your hands off me, can you?" Lorelai teased.

Luke shook his head before pressing his lips to hers in a firm, urgent kiss, one that Lorelai quickly became apart of, one that was filled with need and want.

"How badly do you want to go to that restaurant?" Lorelai asked breathlessly.

"It'll be there next week," Luke said gruffly while pulling her body even closer if that were possible.

"Good. We're going to your place," she said while taking his hand and quickly leading them to the door.

_Luke's Apartment_

Suffice to say, the do-over was a success. It was even so good that all the while, Lorelai hadn't cared that she was missing dinner. Luke looking at her with hungry eyes, kissing her with heated passion, touching her in places she hadn't been touched in years, it was more than enough to make her forget about their reservations. A juicy steak couldn't come close to satisfying her the way Luke did.

"We need to do that every night," Lorelai managed to say between breaths after collapsing on Luke's chest.

The man flashed a cocky smile. "That good, huh?"

"Uh huh. You should go pro."

Luke smiled further while running his hands up and down her smooth back.

"My heart's beating so fast," Lorelai said while leaning up a bit so she could press her hand to her chest.

"Just breathe," Luke assured her while gently pulling her chest back to his.

Lorelai sighed in contentment while burying her face in Luke's chest.

A moment of comfortable silence passed as both were lost in their own thoughts until Luke spoke the question that was plaguing his mind.

"Do you have to go soon?" he asked quietly while brushing her dark hair from the side of her face then tucking the locks behind her ear.

Lorelai shook her head without opening her eyes.

"No?" he asked, surprised.

"Rory's staying at Lane's."

"Good, good," Luke said while nodding.

"Mhm," Lorelai agreed.

Not a second later, and another question formed in Luke's head. He wasn't sure if she'd want to, but he knew _he_ wanted her to and so he took a shot and asked.

"Hey, Lorelai?"

"Hm?" she asked sleepily.

"You wanna stay... the night?"

Lorelai opened her eyes. She looked up, leaned her chin on his chest, then smiled at the man beneath her.

"Will you make me coffee in the morning?"

He nodded. "Breakfast too. In bed," he added to entice her.

Her smile doubled. "Sold. I'm staying," she said before flopping back down on his chest.

Luke couldn't help but laugh.

Meanwhile, outside, a small crowed had formed on the street with Stars Hollow's finest gathered around and every face tipped up at Luke's apartment.

"Think they're doin it?" Babbette asked.

"They've been up there a while," Kirk said after checking his watch. "Probably did it already."

Well not finest; quirkiest, maybe.

"They never went to dinner," Patty commented before taking a drag.

"They ran up there pretty fast," Tilly threw in.

"Rory's sleeping at Lane's," Mrs. Cassini said.

"They're definietly makin' whoopee!" Babbette bellowed.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

_TBC..._

**Any thoughts? Comments? Questions? I'd love to hear 'em, :D. **

**Oh, and when you're done, if you'd like, please visit my profile page for the link to a new website! Thank you!**


	28. Just Plain Old Rude

_So I was looking back, reading old reviews and I realized there were a few questions I never answered. I always mean't to. When I read reviews, I have the answers in my head, but usually forget to write them down right away, and then when I sit to update, I forget to include them in the chapter. So I'm going to answer all the questions now that I never got around to**. **_

**Hondagirl (chp 3) – **I'm not sure if the story already cleared this up, but yes, Rory will start Chilton when she's 15. I brought about the idea early in the story because I always thought if anyone at that school would have been asked to skip a grade, it would've been Rory, so I thought that fit well. :D

**Tatty1986 (chp14)- **Umm, chapters, I'm not too sure. I could see this story having hundreds of chapters and I mean that literally, lol. I plan to have Lorelai and Luke together, build on that; show Rory go to Chilton, then Yale and beyond. So yeah, who knows if this'll ever end, :D.

**Freakytiky- (chp18)- **Hmm, would I do a "The Proposal" spinoff with L&L? I'm not really sure how I'd even do that, lol. I think it would require a very, very AU story but then again, one of my stories is very, very AU, so hm, I'd have to play around with that. But if I can't come up with anything, I'll def pass the word, :D. And for your second question, I got the name Coop from the cop from season four during the episode 'A Family Matter'. I assume that's where Mags got it too, :D.

_Did I miss any? Please, don't be afraid to yell at me if I did. And as far as grammar/spelling goes, I suck, I know, lol. Spell check and I don't get along. And no matter how many times I read over a chapter, I always manage to miss mistakes. I would get a beta, but I'm too impatient; I like to post the second I finish writing a chapter, so that just wouldn't work. Anyway, I do apologize for that. _

_And finally, to the chapter. _

_Enjoy!_

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 28: Just Plain Old Rude**

_Luke's Apartment_

_March 1st_

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Who-wha-what's happening!?" Lorelai demanded as she flew up in bed. "Is it the British?!Are they finally attacking?!"

"Alarm," Luke mumbled while reaching over to flick the off button.

"Alarm?" Lorelai questioned through a voice thick with sleep. The Gilmore pushed her hair from her face to peak over at the clock. "4:45? 4:45 in the morning!? The alarm is going off at 4:45 in the _morning_?!"

Luke nodded while sitting up in bed.

"Why, Luke, why?! Who in their right mind sets an alarm for 4:45 in the morning?! Who?!"

Luke sighed before looking at her with dull, tired eyes and asking, "you always this loud in the morning?"

"It isn't morning!" she screeched. "Look outside! It's still dark! The birds aren't chirping! The worms aren't out! The sun is far, far away! It isn't morning!"

"Then why do you keep saying morning," he grumbled.

"You know what I mean!"

Unfazed by her yelling, Luke leaned over to kiss Lorelai's cheek. He let his kiss linger for a moment before pulling away to smile at the dark curls that frayed every which way. He'd grown used to seeing her hair perfectly set every day, but even her messy bed head made him smile.

"Mad at you," Lorelai murmured.

"I know," he agreed softly before dropping another kiss, this time to the corner of her lips.

Her eyes fell closed immediately, but quickly Lorelai regained herself. "No, you can't kiss me." she refused weakly while pushing at his chest.

"You look good," he complimented gruffly while finding her hand underneath the blanket and twining his fingers between hers.

Lorelai sighed, the breath escaping from her lips the moment Luke's touched her skin again. He trailed featherlight kisses across her jawline but stopped just before reaching her neck. Her lids eased open and she looked at him in question.

Luke just smiled back while smoothing a curled lock behind her ear. He then turned to slide from the bed, making sure the covers remained across her body as he got to his feet. If they even slipped a few inches, he'd be too distracted to go about his morning routine.

"Where are you going?"

"Shower. Go back to sleep."

"What? No, you can't shower! We have to wake up together!" she yelled after him.

"We did wake up together!"

"That wasn't waking up! That was a rude awakening that I did not expect when I fell asleep last night! You can't ask me to sleepover, then set the alarm for _4:45 in the morning!"_

"Go to sleep," Luke called before closing the bathroom door.

Lorelai huffed in fustration while her back fell to the mattress. She didn't bother to pull up the covers that suddenly dipped beneath her chest during the fall, but seconds later, her wondering mind stumbled across a name that made her aware of uncovered upper half.

"Rory," Lorelai said to the quiet room.

And just like that, her motherly instincts kicked in. She sat up in bed while pulling the blanket above her breasts, then reached to her purse for the phone. She realized she didn't call Rory last night to tell her that she'd be at Luke's until morning. And after plucking her cell from her purse, she saw that it was still on silent from the night before. While waiting at the Inn for Luke, she set the ringer that way in anticipation of the restaurant. Luke said he was taking her someplace nice; she didn't want to risk her cell phone ringing in a fancy place that may not allow it.

But just as quickly as Lorelai found the ringer to be off, she saw there were no missed calls. As a reaction, she breathed a sigh of relief. But that didn't erase the guilt or the worry she felt. Lorelai thought if there had been an emergency, her daughter would have had a hard time reaching her and all because she spent the night with a boy and didn't tell anyone.

"Nothing happened. She's fine. It's not a big deal," Lorelai whispered firmly.

And the rational part of her knew that it wasn't, but the mother in her wouldn't quiet. And because that voice wouldn't let up, Lorelai was tempted to call her daughter, apologize, give her Luke's number, but then she realized the time.

Lorelai curled to her side while wrapping the covers firmly around her naked body. She kept her eyes on the clock, mentally willing the numbers to change faster so it could be morning and she could call her daughter. She knew she'd be restless until she called; speaking to Rory was the only thing that would put her mind at ease.

10 minutes passed by ever so slowly, but on the 11th minute, Lorelai heard the bathroom door open and with the noise, the Gilmore turned to face the bathroom. She couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of a half naked Luke towel drying his wet hair.

"What?" Luke demanded grouchily at her staring eyes.

Lorelai smiled further. "Just looking at you."

"Why?"

"Because your towel's slipping."

Luke snapped to pull up the towel back to his waist.

Lorelai pouted. "Aw, Junior can't come out to play?"

"Jeez," Luke grumbled while padding across the floor to his dresser.

Lorelai turned in bed to follow his movements. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I give Rory your number?"

"Doesn't she already have it? She's called the diner."

"No, this number, up here," Lorelai clarified. "You know, just incase im here and my cell dies or something and she needs to get a hold of me."

"Yeah, sure," he granted.

"Great, thanks."

"No problem," he said through a shrug.

Lorelai waited a beat then said, "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Can _I _have your number?"

The man turned to look at her in confusion with a pair of boxers and rolled up white socks held to his chest. "What?"

"Don't you think it would be weird if your girlfriend's daughter had your number but not your girlfriend?" Lorelai asked through a smirk.

"Girlfriend?"

"What? Oh, no, that's not what I- I mean I thought- you know, you- I, uh- I thought- aren't we-"

"We are," Luke finished through an amused grin.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes while reaching for some ammo but of course, the haphazardly thrown pillow sailed passed his head, missing his body entirely.

Luke smiled at her poor aim while turnng back to his task.

Lorelai leaned her cheek on her open plam, her elbow resting on the bed as she used the leverage to get a better look at the show. Her lips curled further as she watched Luke move to the closet to pick out his clothes for the day. The colors changed, but the style never did. He always wore plaid, Levi's and boots. And what she really loved was his flannel shirt that he most always left parted open. And when he stuck the order pad between his covered naval and his jeans, that sent her through the roof.

"What color today, Mr. Lumberjack?"

"Red," he answered dully.

"Pretty color for a pretty boy."

"Not pretty," he grumped while turning back to head for the bathroom.

"Wait, no, I have to pee!" Lorelai suddenly exclaimed while scrambling from the bed.

Luke stopped dead in his tracks, his lips grinning wildy at the sight of her naked body hurrying across the floor. But then she stopped at the door, swipping the blue flannel he wore yesterday from the door knob before turning to the bathroom and quickly closing the door behind her.

Luke shook his head at the scene while a content smile played on his lips.

_XOX_

"You promised me breakfast in bed."

"And I'm giving it to you," Luke said while carrying a tray towards her.

"I guess I shouldn't have assumed that breakfast in bed mean't breakfast with _you _in bed," Lorelai said through a sigh while wrapping her flannel covered arms around her belly.

"Rather stay here than flip pancakes all morning," Luke complained, his voice gruff.

"Then stay. Can't Caser handle things for a while?"

Luke shook his head. "His morning off."

Lorelai sighed.

"You should be sleeping anyway. It's only 6 a.m," Luke said while setting the tray down.

"I tried to go back to sleep while you were downstairs, but I couldn't. Once I'm up, I'm up. Remember that," she warned.

"Got it. Here. Coffee'll be ready in a minute," Luke promised before turning to the kitchen.

Lorelai peaked over at her breakfast. In the middle of the tray sat a plate filled with her favorites- scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon and little sausage links. He gave her the works, something he didn't normally do. He usually made her choose between bacon and sausage and never gave her more than two pancakes. Sometimes he even tried to give her egg whites. Today she had three pancakes, both sides and yoke in her eggs.

"Trying to use greasy fat and fluffy pancakes to make up for your absence?"

"Yup."

"Wise man," Lorelai murmured while sliding the tray closer.

"Coffee's done," Luke announced. "Oh, and it's decaf," he added.

Lorelai's fork stopped in mid air, the silverware holding a bite of eggs. "I'm sorry; what?"

"Decaf," Luke repeated."You're getting decaf."

"Not funny."

"I'm serious."

Lorelai looked at him through narrowed eyes, watching as he poured hot steaming liquid into a mug. Her blue orbs followed his approaching body with her stare focused on the mug in his hands.

"If that's decaf you better cover your private area because I will pour that over your family jewels," she warned.

"Odds are you'll miss," Luke said through a shurg,"so I'll take my chances."

Lorelai watched with furrowed brows and frowning lips as he put the mug down on the night stand next to her.

"You're trying to kill my buzz, aren't you?" she asked after looking up at him. "First, the early wake up call, and now you're giving me decaf? And here I thought we had something special," she murmured through a longing sigh.

"I'll make you a deal," Luke offered. " You throw out one of everything and I'll give you regular coffee."

Lorelai looked between the coffee mug and her plate, mentally weighing her options. She knew she needed coffee; starting her day would be impossible without it. And she figured she could grab some more breakfast at the Inn if her belly was still hungry. Could she get coffee there too? Yes, but nothing compared to Luke's brew.

"Fine," she gave in."But I want a really, really big cup."

"You got it," Luke said with a smile.

The man took back her plate, walked it over to the trash, threw out half of everything, filled up a mug with the coffee she liked, then returned her breakfast.

Lorelai couldn't help but pout at her once filled plate that now had food only covering half the surface.

"The things I do for coffee," she breathed through a sad shake of her head.

Luke smiled as she dug into her breakfast.

_XOX_

_Diner_

"You!"

Luke jumped, his heart nearly flying from his chest as he fell back to the counter. "Jeez," the man grumbled in complaint.

"You did that unpurpose!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Did what?"

"I took a long shower, a really, _really_ long shower, and I had a lot-a time to think while I used up all your hot water."

"Lorelai," Luke growled in warning. Yes, their relationship was out, but he didn't need the whole town to know about what happened the night before. They'd be all over it.

"You just _happened_ to have regular coffee all made and ready to go? I think not! You knew I'd give up whatever I had to to get coffee! You took advantage of my caffene addiction! You took away half my breakfast because you knew I couldn't say no! You planned it!" she accused while following him around the room.

"Eggs, toast. Pancakes, hashbrown," Luke listed dully while placing two plates down in front of Babette and Morey.

"We sleep together and then you pull a stunt like that!"

Luke spun around to look at her with wide eyes. "Keep your voice down," he whispered harshly.

"Oh, they know," Lorelai waved off. "I saw them all crowded around your place last night when I looked out the window," she explained.

When Lorelai got up to get a snack, she made the mistake of peaking through the glass and there was half the town, every face looking up at Luke's apartment.

"Doesn't mean they know," Luke mumbled.

"We know," Babette added after a bite of her breakfast.

"I know I too!" Kirk added.

"What do you know, Kirk?" Patty asked while walking through the room.

"That Luke and Lorelai had an adult sleepover last night."

"Oh, yes," the dance teacher agreed through a big, growing smile. Patty walked across the room while pulling out a paper fan. "How was it?" she whispered in Lorelai's ear. "I bet he's a stallion in bed," the woman complimented while eyeing the man appreciatively.

"Do not answer that," Luke warned.

"You two kids going to the bid-a-basket auction later?" Babette asked.

"I'm going. Grumpy Mcgrumperson here refuses to go."

"Really? Even after last night? You know you have ways of gettin' him to go, sugah! Just give him a nice blo-"

"Stop!"

Lorelai couldn't help but giggle while everyone else fought to keep the smiles from their faces.

"You, you're late; go," Luke said while jerking his chin to the door.

"See how he treats me? And after I let him have the glory that is me," Lorelai said while waving her hands up and down her body.

"Jeez," Luke said through a roll of the eyes. "Go."

"Not until you kiss me goodbye."

"Later," he growled.

"No, not later. Now. That's what couples do when they leave eachother; they kiss goodbye. Kiss me," she said simply.

Luke sighed but none the less, he left a quick peck to her lips.

"Oh, honey, that wasn't a kiss," Patty murmured sadly.

"Kiss her for real!" Babette screeched

"Lay one on her!" Kirk threw in.

"And tongue, he should give me tongue, right?" Lorelai called to the room while nodding her head vigorously.

"Yeah, tongue!" Kirk exclaimed.

Lorelai looked back at Luke with shining eyes and a bright smile. "Come on, Duke, pour some sugar on me," she said while tapping her lips.

Luke glanced around the room to glare at everyone before kissing Lorelai's puckered lips, this one lasting just 3 seconds longer than the last one.

"That's all you're getting," the man grumped before turning around to hide in the kitchen.

Lorelai wore a big smile while adjusting the purse on her shoulder."Bye, ladies. See ya, Morey," she said before leaving for the Inn.

"I can't believe it! They're in love!" Babette boosted.

"Ah, to be young again," Patty sighed.

"Better look out for Taylor," Morey warned darkly.

"Yeah, he's gonna have a field day with this one!"

_The Inn_

"Hey, Sook, I need a huge favor," Lorelai said while walking through the kitchen.

"How many colors do you see?" Sookie asked while tipping a salad bowl up.

"A lot; it's a rainbow in there. Now back to-"

"There aren't enough colors! It's too much green! I need more vegetables!" the chef exclaimed while hurrying to the fridge.

"Speaking of salad, I need-"

"Tomatoes! I can't believe I forgot tomatoes!"

"Sookie, honey, please focus."

"What?" she asked while carrying a couple of tomatoes back to the cutting board.

"I need you to please make me a big, big salad, minus the healthy stuff."

"_You_ want a salad?"

"Yeah, for the bid-a-basket auction."

"I thought you were stuck working tonight."

"I was but I pulled the mom card and got Kara to pull double duty until Ryan comes in for the night."

"Ah, you told her you haven't seen Rory much," Sookie said with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, and you know how she's a sucker for kids, so totally worked. But anyway, back to the salad. I need one for my basket."

"But without the vegetables?"

"Yeah. You know, throw in some olives, and cheese and croutons, and all that good stuff, but leave out anything of nutritional value. Just toss in enough lettuce to make Luke think it's a salad. I can work around that," Lorelai waved off.

Sookie smiled. "Right after I finish this."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetie. So you got Luke to go with you?"

"Well, not yet, but I have my ways," Lorelai gloated through a grin before popping an olive into her mouth.

"I bet," Sookie laughed.

_XOX_

"Yes, I know, you're only going for Rory," Lorelai spoke into the phone. "One time deal, got it... oh, don't worry about the money; no one ever really buys my basket anyway. Everyone knows there's never much in mine... Oh no, for you, I've packed something special... Yeah, starts at two... yeah, yeah, I owe you... bye, stud."

And with a smile on her face, Lorelai hung up the phone to retrieve her boy's basket.

_XOX_

"Thanks, Mrs. Kim!" Lorelai called from the door where she waved goodbye to the woman who just dropped her daughter off.

"So how was it? You have fun, babe?" she asked while hooking her arm over her daughter's shoulder as they walked towards the desk.

"Yeah," Rory said while giving a smile for her mother's benefit.

"Good. So guess what I have planned for us today."

"What?"

"Well, Luke and I thought it would be a fun idea if the three of us went to the basket auction together."

Rory looked up at her mom in surprise. "I can come too?"

"Are you kidding? _You're_ the reason Luke's even coming."

"Really?"

Lorelai nodded.

"Wow. Luke must like me better than you," Rory awed.

Lorelai smiled and said,"Your eating habits are ever so slightly better than mine. Automatic win."

"Plus I don't talk as much."

"Yeah, yeah."

"And I don't follow him around the diner, annoying him like you do."

"Okay, okay, I get. You're the better version of me."

Rory smiled.

_XOX_

_Square_

Everyone was gathered around the gazebo where Taylor stood at the podium, the town selectman surrounded by baskets for the auction.

"There's Luke," Rory said while pointing towards the diner.

Lorelai looked over her shoulder than smiled at the sight of her grumpy diner man heading their way.

"Do you think he'll like what I put in there?" Rory asked worriedly.

"He'll love it, sweets," Lorelai said with a sincere smile.

"Good. I hope he does."

"And for our second basket, we have here a beige wicker from Dooses Market. Oh, and it's pretty heavy," the man said in surprise after being handed the basket."We'll start the biding at 10 dollars!" he announced.

"Who do you think made that one?" Rory asked.

"Tilly. She always packs the big ones."

Rory nodded in agreement.

"I have 40 bucks, that's it," Luke said while coming up behind him.

"Oh, you won't even need 10," Rory said confidently. "Two years ago, this boy from my school, Eric Meyer, he stole mom's basket from the pile and showed everyone that all she packed was-"

"Two stale poptarts and a slim-jim. I heard."

"You did?" Lorelai asked.

"Patty was telling some guy at the diner."

"What guy?" Rory asked.

Luke shrugged and said,"didn't see his face."

"How did you not see his face? Didn't you look at him when you gave him food?"Lorelai asked.

"He didn't order anything. He came in, talked to Patty then left."

Lorelai and Rory exchanged looks.

"Weird," the eldest Gilmore murmured.

Rory nodded in agreement.

_XOX_

10 minutes had come and gone and finally, Taylor got to Lorelai's basket.

"The smallest one. Yours I assume?" Luke asked.

"Yup," Lorelai said through a proud smile while squeezing her daughter's hand in excitement.

"Let's start the biding at 2 dollars!"

"Wow, last year it was only 1 dollar. Go basket!" Lorelai cheered while pumping her fist in the air.

Luke rolled his eyes; Rory laughed.

"Do we have 2 dollars!"

"Right here!" a man from the back called and when everyone realized it wasn't Luke's voice that shouted, all the heads turned to see who it was.

"Derek?" Lorelai questioned, her voice low.

"Derek? That jerk who sold you the jeep?" Luke questioned.

"He wasn't a jerk," Lorelai defended.

"Then what the hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know," Lorelai murmured curiously.

"Do we have 3 dollars!"

"5!" Luke called with his ice cold stare on Derek.

"10!" Derek countered.

"Oh no," Lorelai panicked.

"20!" Luke yelled.

"30!"

"Sweetie, I would back down if I were you," Patty warned."Lorelai's with Luke and trust me, you don't want to cross Luke. Especially if it concerns either of the Gilmore girls."

"35!" Luke called while pulling out his wallet. He knew he was starting to run low.

"Not crossing anyone. Just a friendly bidding war, that's all," Derek said with a smile.

"Well, I'd stop right there, doll face," Babette said.

"35 going once!"

Derek was ready to call another number while he pulled his own wallet from his back pocket but quickly he found that he only had 25 dollars.

"Damn," he cursed under his breath.

"35 going twice!"

Lorelai bit down on her lip while looking between Derek and Luke.

"Sold to Luke Danes!"

"Oh thank God," Lorelai sighed in relief.

Luke went up to the podium to retrieve his basket while giving Derek a look of warning.

The newcomer bowed his head and stuffed his hands into his pocket while escaping from the crowd.

_XOX_

Lorelai and Luke granted Rory the task of finding them a good spot and the youngest Gilmore grabbed both adults' hands and led them to a shady spot underneath a big tree.

"Don't they look like the cutest little family," Babette said to Morey while watching the trio pass.

The man nodded in agreement before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Okay, sit please," Rory ordered nicely while holding the basket to her chest.

With a smile, Lorelai spread out a blanket over the grass, then together they sat.

"And as the basket winner, you get to open it," Rory said with a big grin while holding said basket out to Luke.

"Come here, sweets," Lorelai said while patting the spot next to her.

Rory plopped down next to her mom who sat leaning agianst the tree. The pre-teen curled up to Lorelai's side then watched with anticipation as Luke opened their lunch.

"Wow, a salad," Luke awed in disbelief

"Yes. I'm making the ultimate sacrifice for you."

"By eating a salad?"

Lorelai nodded seriously.

"She doesn't normally eat salads," Rory explained.

"Never eats a salad," Luke grumped.

"Well today I am. Aren't you proud?" she asked through a bright smile.

"You have no idea," he replied sarcastically.

"Take the salad out. I made desert," Rory said proudly.

Luke smiled at the girl while pulling the salad out to reveal two chocolate pudding cups and a few little baggies of M&Ms.

"Oh, that's for mom and I. Yours is on the side."

Luke pulled out the girls snacks to find celery sticks, carrot sticks and a banana all wrapped up together in a little blue ribbon. Luke couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you like it?" Rory asked hopefully. "I know you like vegetables, but I packed a bag of M&Ms for too you incase you want some chocolate."

"It's great, Rory; thank you."

"You're welcome," the girl said while leaning over to give the man a hug.

Luke put his arm around her while using his other hand to pat her head. He was always an awkward hugger. When the two seperated, Rory sat back to help Luke sort everything.

"Looks like you guys forgot forks," Luke noticed.

"I'll get 'em!" Rory offered while quickly springing to her feet.

"Dressing too!" Lorelai called after her daughter as she hurried to the diner.

With a smile on her face, Lorelai leaned away from the tree to kiss Luke's scruffy cheek."Thank you," she whispered while parting away just enough to look at him.

"For what?" he asked, his voice soft.

"For making my daughter happy," Lorelai said before dropping another kiss to his other cheek."For making me happy.

"You're welcome," he returned gruffly before setting a soft kiss to her lips.

"I'm glad you came."

"Me too."

"Next year?"

"Don't count on it."

"That's what you say now," Lorelai sang.

Luke sighed.

_TBC..._

_**I hope you liked it! And I hope you'll leave a review before you go! Thanks for reading!**_

_Oh, but P.S- I've been writing down little notes for this story. Just some things that were mentioned in the show that I plan to include here like Rory doing gymnasitcs, their hamster, Lorelai and the yoga fiasco, and etc, etc. If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know so I can work them into the story. I want to make this as close to the show as possible and gaining more events to work with will only help with that. So if anyone's got any ideas they'd like to share, please do so. Thank you!!! :D_


	29. Risky Relations

_So, I know I have a bunch of other stories that need updating and I just recently updated this one, but I had the urge to write for this story today and before I knew it a new chapter was born. _

_I want to thank everyone who read and/or reviewed the last chapter. But as you all know, I especially love hearing from you guys because your opinions let me know there are people out there reading. And that makes me smile, :D. _

_Oh, and just a little warning- **M-ish **scene__at the end of this baby, but it isn't too bad. _

_Enjoy!_

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 29: Risky Relations**

_Mid March_

_Crap shack_

"Luke...we...stop," Lorelai murmured between kisses.

"Why?" Luke's gruff voice asked before he dove for her neck

"Rory... home..." Lorelai managed before giving in and tilting her head back to grant him better access.

Luke grinned while peaking up at her. "Okay," he said before gently sucking on the sensitive skin beneath her ear.

"Oh," Lorelai breathed as the assault intensified.

Luke spread his hands from her back to her denim covered ass where gave a squeeze before sliding his palms into her pockets.

Lorelai reached between his parted flannel, smoothing her hands over his warm skim while his lips traveled across her collar bone.

"Oh God," Lorelai moaned while looking up at the ceiling. She then closed her eyes tight, trying to will her body to keep from reacting to Luke's roaming lips, his teasing hands, but she couldn't. It was too late. His mouth was traveling just above her bra line, right across her breast. And just like that, without meaning to, Lorelai started to grind agianst his covered manhood while Luke's wondering hands sneaked up the back of her shirt, his fingers aiming for her bra strap.

Just as his finger reached the clasp, the door opened.

"Mom! Meeting's in 5 minutes and we still need to pick up-Luke," the young Gilmore finished in surprise while looking between the two adults with furrowed brows creasing her forehead. "Oh. We don't need to pick up Luke. He's here. Um, hi, Luke," she said uncomfortably as the pair in question hurried to get clothes and hands back to where they belonged.

"I told you we had to stop," Lorelai hissed while quickly buttoning up her half open shirt.

"Sorry, Rory," Luke apologized while putting his own shirt back into place. "This won't happen again."

"That's what you said last week," the young Gilmore sighed while putting her back-pack down on the floor. "Can't you guys, um, you know, go up there and do that?" she asked while pointing to the second floor.

"Yeah, Luke, no more hanky panky in the living room."

The man glared at Lorelai while reaching for his coat.

"I vote for a quick pit stop at the diner for pie to go; whose with me?"

"But Taylor hates it when we're late," Rory said. "He gets mad and then he yells at us."

"Ah, but making Taylor mad is fun, right, hon?"

"A blast," Luke answered dryly while patting his pocket to make sure he had his keys.

"Oh, who you trying to kid; you know you like pissing him off."

Luke couldn't help but smile a little.

"See? Now let's go; pie's a waitin'!" Lorelai exclaimed.

Rory and Luke both shared a look, but they were quick to follow.

_XOX_

_Square_

"Even better to-go," Lorelai mumbled through stuffed cheeks.

Rory nodded vigorously while chewing on a bite of apple pie.

"You're not eating this till later," Luke warned while holding up the 'Luke's' bag that held four donuts.

"By later you mean 5 minutes from now, right?"

"By later I mean later," Luke said firmly.

"So 10 minutes from now?"

Luke sighed.

Lorelai giggled while Rory opened the door to Patty's. They could've slipped in through the back but instead Lorelai directed her daughter towards the old, loud, creaky door near the front. Taylor was of course the first to say something when the noise announced their presence.

"It's bad enough that you constantly come late, but to bring food into a town meeting? I should fine you right here and now," Taylor said with his gavel pointing in Lorelai's direction.

"Food? What food? I don't have food. Does anyone see food? I don't see food," Lorelai quickly grumbled while hurrying them to the fourth row where she spotted empty seats.

"Then why do you have a full mouth, young lady?"

Lorelai swallowed hard while sitting down, then she looked up at Taylor with wide, innocent eyes. "What's that about a full mouth, Taylor? Or have you forgotten there are little kids in the room?"

"If you're insinuating something of an adult theme, I was talking about food."

"Oh, so that's _your _sweater at the deli?"

"What?"

"You know, the snow and the rain and the giant cookies."

Taylor turned to Patty and asked, "what is talking about?"

"You have 5 minutes before people start leaving," Patty warned.

Taylor nodded then turned back to his audience. "As I was saying..."

While Taylor yammered on about something or other, Luke tjok the girls' empty plates then tossed them into the trash can. When he turned back around, Lorelai was digging into the 'Luke's' bag.

"I thought I said later," he growled.

Lorelai raised her brows and asked, "why do you get to be incharge of the donuts?"

"I bought them."

"Chocolate please," Rory whispered with her hand held out and her eyes on Taylor.

Lorelai grinned hugely while plucking two sugary sweets for her and her daughter.

"Want one, babe?"

"Never."

Lorelai shrugged and said, "your loss," before taking a huge chunk from her treat.

Luke winced at the sight.

"Now, onto our next order of business," Taylor announced. "Ah, yes, there seems to be an unwanted romance in town. Our local diner owner and the town's Inn keeper have become heavily invovled."

"Us? Is he talking about us?" Lorelai demanded.

"Taylor, whatever you're about to do, don't," Luke warned.

"This is a town meeting, Luke and you're little pairing," he started while pointing between the two adults in question, "has caused some concern."

"To who? Why does anyone care if we're together?" Luke asked without patience.

"There are plenty of reasons why we care," Taylor countered.

"I don't care! I'm all for it!" Babette screeched. "Have you seen them kissin?! They lip- lock like gold medalists!"

"It's true, we do," Lorelai whispered.

"This isn't about lip-locking," Taylor said.

"What is it about?" Rory's small, worried voice asked.

"If the romance goes sour, the town will suffer huge consequences. Suddenly you'll either be a Luke or a Lorelai. Everyone will have to choose where to go for their meals- the diner or the Inn? The co-mingling of these two business owners can only lead to destruction!"

"But I don't own the Inn!" Lorelai argued.

"You run it. That's close enough," Taylor waved off.

"What? No! I'm the assistant manager! I don't run it!"

"Either way, if you and Luke don't last, everyone will have to choose- pink or blue. Unless you're Kirk and can't make a decision to save your life."

"That's true, I can't," Kirk agreed.

"He can't make you breakup, can he?" Rory asked.

"No," Luke said firmly. "Taylor, this is none of your damn business."

"But if you would just look at the charts I've made, you would see how this could effect everyone. Kirk, the charts."

"Yes, sir," Kirk said while springing up from his seat. He handed Taylor a yard stick, then pulled sheets from two large charts.

"Now, I've divided up the town here to show everyone what would happen to our beloved Stars Hollow if a break up should occur. Everyone whose on Team Luke would have to stay on the east side and everyone whose on Team Lorelai would have to stay on the west. Luke would get the east because of the diner and Lorelai the west because of the Inn."

"But the school! Rory goes there!" Babette boosted.

"The lake is on the west side. Luke goes there for fishing," Andrew said.

"Lorelai lives on the east side," Gypsy threw in.

"Luke would need to pass through the west side to get to Litchfied where he does his banking," Bootsy said.

"How the hell do you know where I do my banking?"

"People talk. I listen."

"Okay, that's it; I've heard enough," Luke declared while getting to his feet. "This is my relationship- _mine_," he started while looking around the room, "not yours, not yours, not yours, but mine." He then looked to Lorelai and said, "It's yours, _yours_ and _mine!_ It concerns you and me, and you," he added with eyes fleeting to Rory. "But it does not concern any of you, especially _you_!" he yelled while spinning around to glare at Taylor. "There will be no debating about whether or not it's a good idea if we're in a relationship because we're _in_ a relationship."

"Show 'em the horoscope!" Lorelai yelled happily.

"But in the event of a breakup-" Taylor argued.

"There's not going to be a breakup."

"Well, isn't he the optimisitc fellow?" Gypsy said.

"Fine. In the event of a breakup, I'll move. I'll close up Luke's diner; I'll go far, far away and that way you won't have to choose, okay? Every damn section in town can be pink."

"Can we have your word on that?" Taylor asked.

"You can have my word and a couple of middle fingers on that, Taylor."

Lorelai smiled from her seat while the young Gilmore next to her couldn't wipe the worry from her face.

_Next Morning_

_Inn_

"You want a permanent job here?"

"Yeah. I like it here and since that lady is back-"

"Lisa."

"Right, Lisa. You don't need me as a temp anymore. So I was thinking I coud be a handy man or something. I'm good with a hammar."

"We have a handy man," Lorelai said.

"What about, uh, valet? I could park people's cars."

"Park cars, huh?" Lorelai asked through a small smile.

Brett nodded.

"Id' have to talk to Lisa. I can't make any promisese though, but we'll see."

"I'll take that for now," Brett said while pulling a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

_XOX_

Luke was just walking through the door with Rory when the girl suddenly turned for the kitchen. She promised to be back after chocolate and so Luke headed towards Lorelai's office when he saw her coming out with a guy on her tail. His brows furrowed, his face frowned.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow. Same time, same place?" Brett asked hopefully.

"I'll call you tonight. If all goes well, then yes, I'll see you tomorrow."

"All will go well," he said confidentally. "Thanks again, Mrs. Gilmore."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, Brett."

Lorelai couldn't help but smile at Brett's leaving smirk. When he turned around, she shook her head at his teasing while turning for the lobby.

"Luke, hey; I didn't know you were here," she said in surprise as a big smile took her face.

"Saw Rory walking here. Thought I'd give her a lift," he explained stiffly.

"And you thought you'd come in and say hi to your girlfriend. Hi," she said through a grin before leaning close to show him she was thankful, but when he barely kissed her, she backed away confused.

"Something wrong?"

"Who was that guy?"

"What guy?"

"The guy you were talking to when I got here."

"Brett?" she questioned.

Luke shrugged. "That his name?"

Lorelai's brows furrowed further before she said, "he was a temp while Lisa was out sick but he stopped by to ask for a job. I think you met him a few weeks ago when you picked me up here."

"Probably," Luke murmured while turning to look over his shoulder. "So he's gonna work here now? For good?"

"I don't know. I'll have to talk to Lisa who will talk to Mia, but we'll see. He was a big help when Lisa was out so I promised I'd do what I can," Lorelai said while turning to walk behind the desk.

Luke followed then asked, "he always do that?"

"Do what?"

"You know, he..." Luke sighed. "Nevermind."

"No, Luke, what-"

"I have to get back to the diner."

"Okay, but-"

"Call you later," he mumbled while turning to leave.

Lorelai followed his disappearing body with confusion in her eyes.

_Later_

_Diner_

It was close to 9:00 when Lorelai and Rory were walking through town. They were headed to the video store to grab a quick flick before bed. Of course the night before, as they did every Saturday night, the girls went all out with movies and treats galore, but before the Monday morning madness would set in, they wanted some good mocking material before bed.

"Anything you want, kay, babe?"

"You're not coming in?"

Lorelai shook her head. "I need a coffee fix before Luke's closes."

"You mean you need a Luke fix before Luke's closes."

Lorelai nodded enthusiastically.

Rory rolled her eyes, but she smiled. "Tell him hi for me."

"I will."

While Rory headed to the store while Lorelai hurried down the block to Luke's. When she got there, she went to look through the window, but the curtains were down; she couldnt' see inside. So she stood at the door for a minute, contemplating a move, and after a moment, she reached a tentative finger to tap on the glass.

Luke was mopping up the floor when he heard the noise. He headed for the door, ready to yell at whoever was coming by so late, but when he found Lorelai to be the vistor, the words of fustration never left his mouth.

"Hey, you," she said softly after he opened the door.

"Hey," he said shortly before turning around.

Lorelai closed the door carefully. The bells jingled, filling the silence and as they sounded, Lorelai followed him to the counter.

"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked gently.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Because last night you held my hand when you walked me home and now you won't even look at me."

"I held your hand 'cause you asked me to."

"And now I'm asking you to look at me."

Luke stopped moving the old rag around the counter top to look up at Lorelai.

"I know verbal is my thing, but don't shut me out, Luke. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

When he looked down at the counter without saying a word, Lorelai took matters into her own hands. She walked around to the forbidden zone. She approached him with a look of concern. When she got close enough, she reached out to touch him. She put her hands on either side of his stomach, rubbing the flannel material between her fingers, urging him to turn to her.

"Luke, please," she requested softly.

The man sighed while turning to face her. He puts his hands on her hips, nudging her shirt up to get to her warm skin. Lorelai smiled as his thumbs swept back and forth across her belly.

"If you're trying to distract me, it's working," she whispered.

Luke cracked a small smile.

Lorelai exhaled a breath while closing her eyes. Her arms circled around his back as her head fell to his chest. Luke kissed the top of her head while holding her close.

"Are you mad at me?" Lorelai asked a moment later.

"No."

"Did I do something to upset you?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong, babe," she pressed gently.

Realizing he'd have to tell her, Luke said, "that guy at the Inn."

Lorelai titled her face up to look at him. "Brett?"

Luke nodded.

"What about him?"

"He likes you."

"No," Lorelai answered quickly. Luke gave her a look. "Well, maybe... there's been speculation."

"He likes you," Luke repeated, this time without question.

"Sookie thinks so," Lorelai agreed carefully. "Is that what this is about? Are you jealous?"

"No," Luke denied gruffly.

"I said this to Sookie and now I'll say it to you. Is Brett horrible looking? Is he a rotten guy? Is he a creep? No. And while the rest of the Inn went crazy over him, I didn't. While they all stared at him as he walked by and day-dreamed about going out with him, I thought about you. I day-dreamed about our dates, about being with you. When Sookie asked me if I thought he was good looking, I didn't lie to her and I won't lie to you. He isn't hard on the eyes, but I don't care. I only see you," Lorelai explained. "There's nothing to be jealous about. I'm with you, Luke. I am one hundred percent with you. I am all in, babe, all in," she stressed firmly.

Luke nodded while brushing a curl behind her ear."Yeah, me too. I'm all in."

Lorelai smiled. "We're okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry about that," he apologized, his voice rough.

"Just don't let it happen again."

Luke rolled his eyes, but he pulled her in for a tight hug. Lorelai giggled agianst his chest as they swayed back and forth.

"Hey, Lorelai?" Luke called a minute later.

She answered by looking up at him.

"Sign say closed?"

Lorelai looked to her side to peak at the door and she found the word 'Open' facing her. "Yes."

"Good."

Lorelai gasped in surprise when suddenly Luke lifted her to the counter. Once she was seated, she braced her hands over the edge while looking at him with a happy gleam in her eyes

"We haven't done it on the counter yet," Lorelai sand while swinging her legs back and forth.

"And we won't," Luke said while putting his hands over her thighs to still her movements. He spread out her legs enough so he could fit between them, then he hurried for her neck.

Lorelai closed her eyes when his eager lips touched her neck. She quickly scooted closer so his chest touched hers, so she could reach for his shirt.

Luke left demanding kisses across her heated skin, over her heart, down the valley between her breasts, thanks to the v-neck she wore. While Lorelai hurried to undo the buttons of his flannel, he was nudging her shirt aside with his mouth. When his lips found her bra, he reached up to spread his palm over her covered breast, his fingers giving the sensitive mound a tight squeeze.

Lorelai moaned while arching into his touch. The distraction halted her efforts, but only for a moment. She regained herself just barely a minute later, but then Luke slid the bra strap from her shoulder; the material falling lax over her arm. Lorelai knew what was coming. She knew if she didn't get his shirt off quickly, she wouldn't be able to; soon she'd be too far gone. And so while Luke started for the buttons on her blouse, Lorelai finished the last four on his flannel, and just in time. When his shirt parted open, hers did as well.

And as if right on cue, the door opened, the bells jingled, Rory's voice broke the trance.

"What's taking so-" Rory started, but then she made the mistake of looking up.

Lorelai jumped from the counter and both adults turned to face the wall while they quickly buttoned up their shirts.

"Knock first, knock first," Rory told herself after slapping her palm to her forehead.

"Bedrooms only," Lorelai whispered to Luke while pulling her bra strap back in place.

"I'm really sorry," Rory apologized with her back to them. "I'll just be outside."

And before anyone could say anything, Rory slipped from the room. When the bells signaled her leave, Lorelai turned to Luke.

"I'll take credit for the last one, but this time was all you."

Luke sighed. "That's the fourth time she caught us."

"Yeah, well, maybe if we didn't act like horny teenagers all the time, we wouldn't get caught," Lorelai said while grabbing her coat from the counter top.

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized while reaching to adjust the cap on his head.

"For what? Molesting me?" Lorelai asked through a smirk while zipping up her coat."Don't ever apologize for that. I like you all hot and bothered and tryin' to get me naked."

Luke rolled his eyes.

Lorelai smiled. "I should go. Rory's waiting."

Luke nodded.

Lorelai sighed while hiking her purse higher up her shoulder. "Guess it's about time I talk to her about the birds and the bees."

Luke frowned. "She's only 12."

"Almost 12 and a half," Lorelai corrected. "Remember the second time she caught us? I was in a bra and you had no shirt on. Your lips were two seconds away from finding my boobs. I need to talk to her about all this. I don't want her just thinking things and not knowing the whole story. My mom never talked to me and look what happened."

Luke nodded in understanding.

"Besides, I'm sure she's picked up some things on the street by now and next month some sex-ed teacher is going to be at her school. I got the letter from the school the other day warning me about it. They advised that all parents talk to their children before hand so they have some idea of what's going on."

"Yeah. You should talk to her," Luke agreed gruffly.

Lorelai nodded. "I know we're close but this... this'll be interesting."

"Just tell her what she needs to know. The rest she'll hear from other people."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed, though a frown sat on her face. She wasn't ready to have 'the talk' with her baby yet, but she knew it needed to be done. "Okay, I'll call you later," she said before leaning in for a kiss.

Luke pecked her lips, then reached to open the door.

"Good luck."

"Thanks. I'll need it."

_TBC..._

**So, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Either way, I hope you'll let me know before you go! **

**Thanks for reading! :D**


	30. The Talk

_So this one was a bit difficult to write. Trying to come up with dialogue for "the talk" between a 28 year old and a 12 year old was hard, especially since I am neither of those ages. Plus I don't have a kid so of course, I haven't given the talk and my mother and I aren't close, so I was never on the receiving end of the talk. But hopefully this came out okay. I wasn't sure with some of things I had the girls say, especially Rory, but I think it fits, so I'm gonna roll with it and cross my fingers. _

_Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Getting feedback is always nice, :D. _

_Oh and chapter 30- yay!!! Lol. _

_And here we go! _

_Enjoy!_

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter Thirty: "The Talk"**

_(Early April)_

_Stars Hollow Jr/Sr Highschool_

Rory Gilmore followed her classmates to the auditorium with a frown sitting on her face. She knew what was coming. She knew what the assembly was about. A guest speaker was invited to the school to talk to the 6th and 7th graders about sex. First the girls, then the boys, then both groups would return for general topics and further questioning- that was the format. The students were told the schedule the day before, though the 7th grade already knew the deal since they went through it the year before.

Rory sighed as she walked down the hall with her best friend, Lane Kim. Half a day devoted to sex talk... she thought it was a waste of time. Rory knew she could be working on her history paper or reading up on gymnastics for her upcoming lesson, but instead she was being forced to learn something she already knew. As of last month, all of her questions were answered and her curiosity satisfied.

"_Is Luke mad at me?" Rory asked as she followed her mom up the porch stairs leading to their house._

_Lorelai frowned. "Why would he be mad at you?"_

"_Because of what just happened."_

_Lorelai smiled sympathetically. "He's embarrassed, sweets, but mad? No way. He doesn't have a reason to be."_

"_So you're not mad either?"_

"_Honey, it's not your fault we can't remember to lock the door," Lorelai teased while walking into the house._

_Rory smiled briefly before turning for the living room. _

_Lorelai blew out a quiet sigh as she turned to close the door. After hanging up her purse and jacket on the rack, she went to the living room to find her daughter standing in front of the answering machine, listening to a message that was left from the school about upcoming parent/teacher conferences. _

"_You can erase that. I listened to it earlier."_

_Rory nodded before hitting the delete button. _

_After the beep sounded signaling that the message had in fact been erased, Lorelai bent to the coffee table to straighten up the magazines. Rory watched her mother with a frown on her face, then after a moment, she pushed away from the table and circled the couch while biting down on her lower lip. _

"_Mom?" she called carefully. _

_Lorelai spun around from the T.V stand where she was "organizing" the movies- aka absentmindedly shuffling cases around while trying to find a way to bring up a very important subject. "Yeah?"_

"_Can I ask you something?" the young Gilmore asked hesitantly. _

"_Sure; anything," Lorelai said quickly. _

"_Okay, um," Rory started while thoughtlessly reaching to play with the bracelet around her wrist. "I know Luke is your boyfriend and you're supposed to kiss and everything but, um... when you're with him, you know... he, um ... I mean he doesn't ever make you, you know, do anything that you don't want to do, does he? I mean if you're tired or something and you don't want to, he doesn't, um, he doesn't make you do anything, right?" Rory asked worriedly. _

_Lorelai sighed while her face melted to a concerned frown. "Come here, honey," she said while reaching for Rory's hand. _

_The young Gilmore sat down next to her mom on the couch. She looked down at her lap while Lorelai held her hand tightly in hers. _

"_I was actually hoping to talk to you about all this tonight. You're getting older and this is something you need to know about, and, well, with what's been happening lately, I think tonight would be good night to shed some light on a few things."_

_Rory nodded while avoiding her mother's gaze. _

"_Sweets?" Lorelai called quietly. _

_Rory looked up with frowning lips and worry in her eyes. _

_Lorelai smiled a little. "Honey, it's okay. You know, if you ever have questions about anything, you can come to me. It's okay that you asked what you asked."_

"_Are you sure? I mean I wouldn't have asked; I just want you to be okay," Rory explained quickly. _

"_You look out for me," Lorelai said with a smile while smoothing her daughter's hair behind her ear. _

"_You're my mom," Rory said in explanation. "I'm supposed to, like you look out for me." _

"_Yeah," Lorelai agreed, "but I promise, you don't have to worry about Luke. He would never, ever make me do anything I didn't want to do. I wouldn't be with someone who tried."_

_Rory nodded. "Okay, good... I just wanted to make sure."_

"_Okay," Lorelai said while moving further back against the cushions. "Well, since the can is open and all the worms are squirming around, just begging to come out, I guess now is a good time to get into the nitty-gritty."_

"_Oh, um, the talk?" Rory asked through a slight wince. _

_Lorelai nodded. _

"_I could just learn about it in school," the young Gilmore offered. "That speaker is coming next month."_

"_No, this should come from me first. There's probably things you won't want to ask a complete stranger and yeah, you probably won't want to ask me either, but I thought we had the kind of relationship where we can tell each other anything."_

"_We do."_

"_Right, so we can talk about this. I can tell you what you need to know and you can ask whatever questions you need to. Okay?"_

_Rory nodded. _

"_Okay," Lorelai agreed through a breath. "We can do this."_

_Rory nodded. _

"_We can do this."_

_Silence followed. _

"_Are you sure we can do this?" Rory asked. "Because the speaker can just-"_

"_No, no I'm sure," Lorelai said firmly. "My mom never talked to me about any of this, not once, and I won't let that happen to you. I want to talk to you about things, and I want you to feel like you can come to me, even with the uncomfortable stuff."_

"_I do."_

"_I just need to figure out how to start," Lorelai murmured thoughtfully. _

"_I know babies don't come from the stork," Rory offered. "If that helps."_

_Lorelai smiled. _

"_I know it takes a man and a woman and they... you know... and then nine months later comes a baby," Rory reasoned simply. _

_Lorelai smiled further. _

"_And I know what a condom looks like."_

_Lorelai quirked her brows in question. _

"_Lane and I found one on the street last month," Rory explained through a shrug. _

_A small smile returned to Lorelai's face. "Better hope Taylor doesn't find out someone littered. Only a matter of time before he makes throwing trash on the ground illegal in Stars Hollow."_

_Rory nodded in agreement while spreading an amused smile. _

"_Okay, so here it goes," Lorelai started while tucking her hair behind her ear. "I just- wow, not even 30, and already I'm giving my daughter the sex talk... you're growing up too fast, little girl," she accused while narrowing her stare at her daughter._

_The pre-teen gave an innocent smile. _

"_Almost 12 and a half," Lorelai murmured sadly. _

"_We can wait until I'm 13 if you want. Or even 14. I don't think I'll start dating for a while. I don't even have boobs yet," Rory said while looking down at her flat chest. _

_Lorelai smiled. "That'll change soon, babe, trust me."_

"_And I don't have my period yet, so really, we can wait," Rory said, her almost pleading. _

_Lorelai shook her head."No, I can do this. I'm the mom and I can do this. I can talk to you about sex and boys and STD's and your period, and ugh, I don't know if I can do this," she finished through a sigh as her forehead fell to her palm. _

"_I already know about my period- well no, not mine, but I know what's gonna happen."_

_Lorelai looked up with a hopeful look on her face. "Yeah?"_

_Rory nodded. "This girl, Jessica, she got it last week in school. I think she's the first one in our class. She's already got boobs too, it's weird. Anyway, for some reason she was happy about it. She was bragging to some of the girls at lunch and Lane and I heard her talking. Her friends were asking questions and she explained the whole thing. She said her older sister told her everything about how to use a tampon and when it happens and what pills to take. She said Midol is the best. So you can skip that topic if you want," Rory explained through a shrug. "I know about it and I'm not scared or anything. I mean it's just a little blood every month, right? We'll just have to buy extra tampons. And I'll take some of those pill things."_

_Lorelai couldn't help but laugh. "The pills do help," she agreed. "But instead of tampons, I think we should start you on pads first, babe."_

"_Those are for sissys," Rory said through a grin. _

"_What?" Lorelai asked. _

_Rory shrugged and said, "that's what Jessica said. Well, that's what she said her sister said."_

_Lorelai rolled her eyes. "And since when are you the kind of girl that listens to what other snobby girls say?"_

"_I'm not. But I figured since you already buy tampons for you, that it would be easier to just get some more for me when I need 'em."_

"_Honey, they're both on the same shelf. I think I can slide two steps to the right and buy you some pads."_

"_Okay," Rory agreed simply. "What's next? STD's? Um, there's syphilis, herpes, hepatits B, hepatitis C, HIV, AIDS," Rory listed through furrowed brows as she tried to remember the rest. "I know I missed some, but I can look in my notebook for the rest. We just went over them in Health last week," Rory offered seriously while pointing to her bedroom. _

_Lorelai looked at her daughter through curious eyes will slumping further into the couch. "Not even once, huh?"_

"_What?"_

"_Do your eyes stray from the teacher for even a second?" Lorelai asked tiredly. _

_Rory shook her head. _

"_Never dozed off for a minute? Never showed up two seconds late? Never passed a note? Never rolled your eyes when the teacher wasn't looking?" _

_Rory shook her head. _

"_Goodie two shoes," Lorelai snickered. _

_Rory stuck her tongue out. _

_Lorelai smiled while reaching to pat her daughter's knee. "So you know about the technical stuff?"_

"_Yes, I do," Rory confirmed. _

"_Good, good," Lorelai said while nodding at her words. She sat up straighter, then met her daughter's eyes. "There's more. The, um… non technical stuff."_

_Rory nodded. _

"_We need to talk about the non technical stuff."_

_Rory nodded. _

"_It's great that you know what a condom looks like, but what I'm more concerned about is you knowing where to buy 'em and how to use 'em."_

"_Mom," Rory nearly whined. "I don't need to know that yet; I'm only 12."_

"_But you will need to. One day," Lorelai murmured quietly but firmly with her eyes on her lap. "Whether I like it or not, you're growing up and the reality is, you'll need to know these things. I want you to be safe, so you need to know," she stressed. _

"_Can we talk about it tomorrow? I'm tired and I have to wake up early for extra help in the morning."_

_Lorelai frowned. "Extra help?"_

"_Yeah, with my science teacher. I wanna go over the homework before class to make sure I did it right."_

"_Isn't that what class is for?"_

"_If I go to extra help, I can go over every question with the teacher, this way I know how I did on all of them," Rory explained. _

_Lorelai looked at her daughter, her face blank. "You know, when you say things like that, it makes me wonder if I bought home the wrong baby from the hospital."_

"_I've liked coffee since I was ten," Rory started while standing up, "I'm your daughter."_

"Okay, if everyone would quiet down!" The principle called.

"Rory," Lane whispered harshly while yanking on her friend's arm.

The young Gilmore snapped from her daze. "What?"

"We have to sit."

Rory nodded and quickly Lane took her hand and led them in the direction of their teacher's pointing finger. They hurried down to the front of the auditorium where the 6th grade was gathered and found two empty seats on the aisle.

"I can't decide if this'll be better or worse than sitting in class," Lane whispered.

Rory watched as the guest speaker's helper carried a prop to the center of stage. She put a model of a girl's reproductive system right in the center of the table.

"Worse," Rory decided.

Lane nodded in agreement.

_XOX_

It never happened before that morning. In fact, it was the first and probably only time that Rory Gilmore ever spaced out in school. But she couldn't help it. 47 minutes had ticked by and so far nothing was new to her. Her health teacher warned the class before they arrived for the assembly that most of what would be said would be review; the school wanted to reinforce the subject as much as possible, hence the speaker. For those who didn't pay attention the first time around, this was there second chance. But for the few students like Rory, words warning of what could happen to a girl if she engaged in unsafe sex were absorbed the first time around. And for Rory, that first time around was with her mom.

And so instead of listening to the speaker, Rory let her mind drift away. She thought back to that night her mom talked to her. The night her mom barged into her room at 11:37 at night.

"_Rory," Lorelai whispered after sitting down on the edge of the bed. _

"_Wha?" the girl mumbled while rolling away from her mom. _

"_I can't sleep."_

_Rory sighed through closed eyes while moving over to make room for Lorelai who quickly scooted to the open spot. But instead of lying down, she sat up against the headboard, and then turned to poke her daughter's back._

"_G'way," Rory mumbled while pulling the blanket over her head. _

"_I need to talk to you," Lorelai whispered. _

"_Time," Rory's muffled voice demanded. _

_Lorelai turned to look over her shoulder and then said, "11:37."_

"_Mom," Rory whined while burrowing further under the blanket. _

"_I can't wait; I need to talk to you now. I can't sleep without you knowing the important stuff, the non-technical stuff. I know you're only 12, but you'll be 13 in 7 months and before either of us knows it, you'll get boobs and get your period and find a boy and I can't stop worrying. I can't stop thinking about it. It all hit me today at the diner and then our talk before and there's still things you need to know and I need to tell you," Lorelai explained urgently. _

"_Tomorrow," Rory's drowsy voice argued. _

"_No, not tomorrow. Now. Please. I promise, five- ten minutes tops and I'm gone. Please."_

_After a quiet moment, Rory relented. She peaked out from underneath the blanket, then rolled her head to meet her mom's concerned gaze with her own tired eyes. _

"_Go ahead," she offered while cuddling up to her mom's side, burying her face in Lorelai's arm as her eyes fell closed. _

"_Thank you," Lorelai whispered before kissing her daughter's forehead. "You know, I was only a year and a half older than you when I had my first boyfriend."_

"_Dad?" Rory asked hopefully while peaking an eye open to look at her mom. _

_Lorelai nodded. "He was the first boy I ever kissed. He was the first boy who took me out for pizza. He was the first boy I introduced to my parents as my boyfriend. Of course, they already knew him before that; he lived near me since we were little, but he was the first boy that I called my boyfriend… he was the first boy I did a lot of things with," she finished quietly. "We dated for a couple of months, then almost two weeks after we broke up, this boy Jake asked me to a movie. I went out with him and he was nice and semi- well mannered. He didn't open the car door for me, but he held the door open when we went into the movie theater. We went out twice and I guess your dad caught wind of it and he was jealous. He wanted me back and he let Jake know it. That Monday after our second date, I went to school and before class, Jake came up to me and said he didn't want to see me anymore. I found out later that your dad threatened to beat him up," Lorelai explained through a small smile. She felt Rory smile against her arm. _

_"Anyway, after that I was back with your dad. We were together for a while and for the most part it was good. I mean we'd fight every now and then, but somehow we always made up. I guess it was easier then. The things we argued over weren't important. It was high school- our problems weren't real then. So we managed to get through it. He walked me to all my classes, even if it made him late to his. He let me wear his letterman jacket home from school, even when it was cold out. He was a good guy. Back then, we worked well together; he was my partner in crime. We always got into trouble together and he always took the heat for me when he could. Looking back, it was puppy love. But we were on and off for over a year. It wasn't the most solid relationship, but I liked being with him," Lorelai explained. "He was good to me. He never hurt me. When we'd break up, he never spread rumors about me or bad mouthed me or anything. But sometimes he came on too strong. It got a point where I didn't like going to parties with him. Your dad wasn't the best drunk- probably still isn't. He got a little… bold when booze were involved and there were some nights when he wanted more. I guess sometimes I did too but I wasn't ready. I wasn't sure, so I didn't go there. For a while. Eventually, I wanted it too. Obviously, I mean, well, here you are," Lorelai said. Rory nodded. "I don't regret it though, baby; I don't regret you and I never have, not for a second. I don't want you thinking I do. I just- it all just happened. We were alone, we were happy and your dad told me he'd buy a hotel room in Europe just for me, just because I didn't want to sleep on a bench, like him. I got swept up in the moment and I let my guard down. I wasn't thinking clearly. I wasn't thinking about STD's or getting pregnant or what would I do if anything happened; I just wasn't thinking," Lorelai finished while looking away from her lap and to her daughter. _

_"You need to think, okay? You need to always think. Now, I got lucky because your dad was healthy and I was healthy and so no one got sick, but that doesn't erase the fact that one of us could have been sick. One of us could have gotten sick. Something bad could have happened. When I first realized I was pregnant with you, I thought it was something bad. I panicked. But you were a blessing in disguise. You gave me the courage to leave that house and find a life for us. And I will always be greatful for that. But I was sixteen when I had you. I went out on a limb when I left with a one year old baby and some money in my pocket. I took a big risk. Thankfully, it paid off, but I need you to promise me something."_

"_What?" Rory asked, her eyes alert and her attention on her mom. _

"_I need you to promise me that you'll always be careful. That you'll always think before you do something that could possibly change your life. I don't want you to have to go through what I went through, because it was hard. Being a teenage mother was hard. I want you to go to Harvard and get married one day and have a baby when you're sure your ready- not because you got caught up in the moment with your high school boyfriend. But if you are with someone when you're young, and you're absolutely sure you're ready, then ask questions. You have to know for sure that he's healthy and you have to be prepared. He needs to be all covered up and you need to make sure he is because guys are totally unreliable when it comes to that. You just need to be careful. Okay? Promise me."_

_Rory nodded through wide eyes. "I promise."_

"_Okay," Lorelai said through a relieved breath. "Good. So we're good? You understand everything? Because if you have questions, ask."_

_Rory thought for a moment before saying, "just one," she said while holding up her index finger. _

"_Okay. Ask away."_

"_The first time, does it, um… does it hurt?" she asked quietly while avoiding her mother's gaze. "Because I hear it does."_

"_Oh, well, um, yeah," Lorelai answered while nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. "But it's something that as long as you take it slow and be careful, you'll be okay. You know, your first time should be with someone who __**will **__take it slow and who respects you. It's something that you both need to agree you're ready for and then when the time is right, you just… be careful," Lorelai finished through a sigh. "When you're older and you feel like you're ready to take that step, then we'll talk more about it because I want you to feel prepared and ready and I mean, yes, it's scary, but the more you know, the less scary it is... I think. I can't really say that from experience because I wasn't prepared really or anything, but… we'll talk. Okay?"_

_Rory nodded. _

"_And I think we did enough talking for now. I feel like we covered everything. You feel like we covered everything?"_

_Rory nodded. _

"_Okay, good, because mommy's tired," Lorelai said through a smile. "And you need to get back to bed. School tomorrow," she reminded her daughter while sitting up further to get up._

"_Wait," Rory called while holding her arms tight around her mom's. "You could just stay here if you want," she offered. "That way you don't have to go all the way upstairs."_

_Lorelai smiled. "What happened to trying to make mommy less lazy? I know you and Luke have been conspiring against my couch potato habits."_

"_It's late and you're tired and you're already here," Rory reasoned quickly. "You can stay. I'll make more room," she offered while scotching to the edge of the bed. _

_Lorelai's smile widened as she got the feeling it was less about convenience and more about Rory wanting some mother-daughter time together._

"_Well, this is closer to the kitchen," Lorelai said through a grin while lying back down. "Close proximity to the poptarts."_

_Rory nodded enthusiastically as her mom settled into her spot. Once she was still, Rory laid her head to her mother's arm and closed her eyes. _

_Lorelai smiled while pulling the covers to her daughter's shoulder. "Not too fast, okay?" she whispered. _

"_What?" Rory asked through closed eyes. _

"_Don't grow up too fast."_

"_Okay. I won't."_

"_Thank you."_

_And within minutes, mother and daughter were fast asleep. _

"This is so boring," Lane complained, her voice bringing Rory back to the present. "Isn't it boring?"

"Yeah," Rory said through a nod. "Really, really boring."

_Tbc…_

**Care to review before you leave? I'd greatly appreciate it if you do. Thank you for reading! :D**


	31. Love Unexpected

Before we get to the main event here, first, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm loving the amazing reviews; you guys are awesome!

And second, I have a new story posted. It's called _**'Stars Hollow'**_and it's a prequel to this one. So if you'd like, I encourage that you head on over to my profile page and check it out. :D.

Kay, here we go.

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 31: Love Unexpected**

_(Mid April)_

_Crapshack_

"Yeah, I understand," Rory murmured quietly into the phone. "Okay… During the summer?... Yeah, that would be fun… Okay, bye dad. I love you… bye."

"Not coming?"

Rory shook her head while bringing the phone to her lap. "He said he'll see me during the summer. If it's okay with you, he wants to take me on a trip one weekend."

"A trip?" Lorelai asked curiously while turning away from the fridge with three water bottles held to her chest.

Rory nodded. "To The Liberty Science Center."

"Didn't you go there with your class last year?"

"Yeah. I told dad about it when we saw him on Thanksgiving and I guess he wants to take me. It would be nice to go there again. He even said he'd take me to see the Liberty bell for real."

Lorelai sighed while pulling out a chair to sit down. "Why don't we wait and see what happens, okay? I'll talk to your dad, see if we can work something out."

"Okay," Rory agreed. "Can you tell him early August would be good? I don't want him to plan for something in July incase I have that enrichment program again. And the end of August I'll be busy with back to school stuff."

Lorelai forced a smile and said, "Okay, I will."

"Got your greasy bread!"

"Kitchen!"

"You know, I could have made something at the diner. I don't know why you like this crap," Luke complained before carelessly tossing the pizza box to the table.

Lorelai gasped while throwing her arms over the box just as it landed. Once she was sure her dinner was safe from the evil diner man, she looked over her shoulder to glare at Luke.

"Jeez," the man grumbled.

"You ever throw perfectly good take-out again and it's over," she warned seriously.

Luke rolled his eyes at the picture of her body shielding a pizza box like the thing was filled with gold.

"I can't believe you did that," Lorelai murmured as slowly she pulled away from the box.

Luke tossed his arms over his chest while looking to Rory for support but the 12 year old was glaring at him with her mother's stare.

"It's okay, babies, he didn't mean it. No one will hurt you; I've got you," Lorelai assured the food while gently separating a piece from the pie.

"Is it okay?" Rory asked anxiously.

Lorelai inspected the pizza, turning the triangular crust topped with sauce and cheese every which way. "The box must've broken its fall. Not a bruise in a sight."

"Thank God," Rory sighed through a relieved breath.

"You're both crazy," Luke declared before turning to leave the kitchen. "Why? Why? Why? What the hell do I see in her?" he muttered with his face tipped up at the ceiling.

Lorelai and Rory giggled.

_Later_

_Square_

"Your mom knows you'll be at my house next weekend, right?" Lorelai asked.

Lane nodded before spooning a scoop of ice cream from the small paper bowl in her hand. "She said it's okay that I sleepover on Saturday as long as she can call every hour."

"I expect nothing less from Mrs. Kim."

"What are you guys gonna do tonight?" Rory asked while peaking over her shoulder at Lorelai and Luke who followed close behind the pre-teens.

"Desert, movie, desert, more desert. The usual," Lorelai listed through a shrug.

Luke scoffed. "You really think I'm letting you have more desert after _that?" _he asked while pointing to the cone in her hand that was topped with so much ice cream that the whole thing looked like it would topple over at any minute.

"Go ahead. Try and withhold the pie. You'll see what happens," Lorelai warned darkly.

"If someone doesn't stop you, you'll be a 1000 pounds before you get to 40. _If _you get to 40."

"I have been eating this like for decades, Luke, and my metabolism hasn't let me down yet. And if it knows what's good for it, it will continue to keep my body in phenomenal shape, making it appear to the rest of the world that I exercise and eat healthy when as we all know, I do not," she said before licking the top of the cone.

Luke had to look away; though just a second later he couldn't help but glance a peak. The sugary crap she was scarfing made him wanna throw up, but the way she ate it was a different story. The way she swirled her tongue around the cone, the look in her eyes, the appreciative hum in her throat after she swallowed… it drove him crazy. He knew if they weren't in public, he would have thrown her over his shoulder by now and tossed her body to the bed. He'd make her forget about that ice cream cone in five seconds.

"Mom and Luke almost broke up earlier."

"Really?" Lane asked. "What'd Luke do?"

"Hey; why does it have to be something I did it? It could have been her," Luke murmured pathetically while pointing a lazy index finger at Lorelai.

"He threw a pizza box," Lorelai offered. "And not an empty one; it had a _whole_ pie in it."

Lane turned to look at Luke with wide eyes.

"Ah, jeez, not you too."

"What happened to the pizza? Did all the cheese fall off?"

"No, the pizza was saved and therefore, so was Luke."

Rory nodded in agreement. "But if the box flipped over-"

"No, no, don't go there. We can't think like that," Lorelai said with her hand held up to stop her daughter's words.

"You're right. All that matters is that the pizza was fine."

Lane nodded before saying, "I can't believe he threw a pizza box. And right in front of your mom."

"Okay, I'm leaving," Luke said while trying to get his hand back from Lorelai but the Gilmore held tighter as a grin popped on her face.

"Let go of my hand," Luke demanded, his voice low.

"Never," Lorelai refused.

"Bye, mom. Bye, Luke," Rory said while tossing her nearly empty treat in the trash as Lane did the same.

"Hey, hey, kiss the mommy," Lorelai said while tapping her cheek.

Rory smiled while turning away from the street corner.

"Sorry; forgot."

"Yeah, yeah, I know; you've outgrown the mommy love. Just humor me, will you?"

Rory smirked before kissing her mom's cheek. "Love you."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Love you, too. Oh, and there's emergency snickers bars in your backpack," she reminded the girl.

"More junk food," Luke murmured.

"Have fun!" Lorelai shouted as the girls hurried across the street.

After watching Rory and Lane disappear into the Kim house, with a smile on her face, Lorelai leaned into Luke's shoulder as they continued on with their walk.

Luke couldn't help the smile from his face if he tried. He couldn't help his lips from kissing the top of her head either.

"I don't know what I see in you," Luke whispered in her ear.

"I have a few ideas."

"Yeah?"

Lorelai nodded. " Could it be my sarcastic wit?"

"Nope."

"My ability to take a mile a minute?"

"Nope."

"My coffee addiction?"

"Nope."

"My oh-so-wonderful eating habits?"

"Nope."

"My expert fashion sense?"

"Nope."

"The way I can drive, talk on the phone, and flawlessly apply mascara all at the same time?"

"Nope."

"The way my ass looks in these jeans?"

Luke made a point of looking over her shoulder to take a peak. A long peak.

Lorelai giggled while pulling on his arm to get him to turn around.

"What's the verdict?"

"The jeans. And that top," he added with a smirk on his face.

Lorelai glanced down at the mild V-neck she wore; the shirt showing just enough to gain a second look, but not too much that would have crossed her over to slutty mom.

"Let me guess. You like the way it brings out the blue in my eyes."

"Like the way it brings out something else," he countered gruffly.

"Oh, take me now sailor."

"Alright. About face," he said while turning them around.

Lorelai smiled wide as they headed for the diner.

_Kim's Antiques_

"So you know what I heard in school yesterday."

"What?"

"Jordan likes you," Lane said through a grin.

Rory wrinkled her nose and asked, "the boy who eats worms?"

Lane nodded.

"Ew, no thanks."

"He's been asking people for your phone number."

"He could have just asked me."

"You want him to ask you?" Lane asked while dragging a sleeping bag into her closet.

"No, but why didn't he just ask me. I know my own number."

Lane shrugged. "Maybe he's shy. I never see him talk to anyone at school."

"That girl who collects crickets talks to him. I've seen them in the halls. " Rory explained while swiping the pillows from Lane's bed. "What's her name?"

"Um, Leslie?"

"Yeah, her."

"He could still be shy.

"Maybe."

"Ever since we had that assembly people have been acting weird. You know Dana's on a date with Matt tonight."

"She is?" Rory asked while sitting down over her sleeping bag.

Lane nodded. "That's the word around school anyway. They're going to Luke's, then BWR. I bet they don't even kiss goodnight, but they're calling it a date," she explained through a shrug while closing the closet door. "Oh, and I picked up those forms for the Easter egg hunt," she realized while walking to her backpack for the permission papers.

"I can't believe Taylor's making us get permission to hide Easter eggs in the square."

"Oh, it's not just that. Don't you remember the fine print?" Lane asked while handing Rory her form. "**If said party breaks and or loses any number of eggs, that party is obligated to purchase new eggs to replace the damaged and or lost ones. Any failure to do so will result in the participant being asked to quietly and calmly leave the egg hunt and to not bother signing up for next year**," she read from the bottom of the paper. "This is our second year doing this and we still have to fill out these stupid forms. Taylor knows who I am," Lane complained while filling in her name and address.

"Well, at least next year we won't need an adult to accompany us while we hide the eggs," Rory offered.

Lane sighed.

_Luke's_

"So I was thinking."

"Yeah?"

"Since the kids are having a sleepover, maybe the adults should too," Lorelai suggested while walking through the apartment with the big pie dish balanced in her palm, and a fork hanging from her other hand.

Luke turned from the fridge to smirk at her. "Been a while since you stayed over."

"Almost a month," Lorelai agreed while stopping to nudge the door closed with her bare leg since her hands were busy.

"Stay?" Luke asked hopefully.

Lorelai nodded enthusiastically.

Luke smiled further as she hurried across the room to the bed.

"You know what the best part of this whole thing is?" Lorelai asked while sliding into bed.

"What?"

"I don't have to get dressed and drive home. I so don't feel like getting dressed and driving home," she said while putting the dish down next to her to adjust the covers over her somewhat naked body.

Luke rolled his eyes, but the smile remained on his face.

"Mmm, so good," Lorelai moaned through a generous bite of apple pie that filled her mouth.

"Stop," Luke growled while walking to the bed with two water bottles in his hands.

"But it's good!"

"You're making me crazy."

"I like making you crazy," Lorelai countered before taking her time to slip the fork from between her lips.

Luke's eyes grew dark at the devious glint in her blue orbs.

"You asking for something?" he asked roughly before taking a swig of water.

Lorelai watched with wide eyes as he tipped his head back and swallowed some H20, her stare going from his Adams apple to his chiseled jaw, to his scruffy cheeks and finally her gaze landed on his lips that were wrapped around the bottle rim.

"Lorelai?"

"What?" she asked after blinking away the haze.

Luke grinned while setting the water bottle down on the nightstand. He then sat down on the mattress next to her and carefully took the pie dish from her hands to put it down next to his water bottle.

"Hey," Lorelai argued weakly while turning to pout at her stolen desert.

"Got something better than pie."

A slow smile spread across Lorelai's face. "Oh yeah?"

Luke nodded.

"Does it taste good?"

Luke nodded. "No biting," he warned gruffly.

"Licking?" she asked hopefully.

Luke nodded.

"Gimme," Lorelai demanded while swinging her leg over his body to straddle his thighs.

Luke's hands automatically found her hips while he dived for her neck.

"Ding, ding, round two," Lorelai murmured.

_XOX_

"Oh God," Lorelai managed through panting breaths while falling to the mattress.

Luke's chest rose high and low as he turned to reach for the sheet that fell to the ground.

Lorelai shook her head while refusing the cover. "Too hot."

Luke nodded in agreement while letting the sheet slip to the floor.

"One of these days," Lorelai murmured while pressing her palm over her frenzied heart.

"What?" Luke asked.

"You're gonna kill me. This time I really feel like my heart's gonna beat outta my chest."

Luke pulled a cocky smirk. "Yeah?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Proud of yourself, aren't you?"

Luke nodded while rolling to his side. He put his hand over Lorelai's belly, sweeping his thumb back and forth across her heated skin.

"I swear you get better every time. Are you practicing with another girl when I'm not around? If so, give me her number so I can thank her for getting you to gold metal status."

"Just you," Luke argued softly.

Lorelai smiled while reaching to cup his scruffy cheek. "You and me, we're good together."

Luke nodded.

"I like this, being here with you. We don't get enough Luke and Lorelai time."

Luke sighed. "This'll have to do it for the rest of the weekend."

Through furrowed brows, Lorelai asked, "why?"

"That stupid egg hunt in the square is tomorrow which I'm sure you're going to."

Lorelai nodded.

"And you're going to your parents' on Sunday, right? For Easter?"

"Oh, no!" Lorelai gasped, as suddenly her eyes grew wide.

"What?"

"Easter, damn it!"

"What? What's wrong?" Luke asked anxiously while trying to get a look at what she was leaning over the bed for.

"Lorelai?" he questioned as she dialed her cell phone.

"I never called Chris," she said while punching in the last number.

"Why? What happened?"

"What happened is he's making promises to my kid that he can't keep. Again," she explained as the phone rang.

"What?"

Lorelai gave Luke an apologetic look before leaning over to kiss his cheek. Just as her lips left his skin, the phone stopped ringing.

"Chris?"

"Lor?"

"Yeah, hey; so, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?"

Luke listened to her side of the conversation while reaching back to the floor for the sheet. Something about her talking to her ex naked didn't sit right with him so he pulled the sheet over her body; she was too far-gone to notice or refuse it.

"Great, so because you can't come Sunday, you think an empty promise to take her away for the weekend makes up for your absence?"

"Lorelai, come on; she knows I can't be there all the time."

"Yes, but what she doesn't know is _why_ you can't be here all the time. Or why you can't be here at all. You show up 2, maybe 3 times a year if you feel like it and you think that's enough for her? You have a daughter, Christopher, a daughter whose all excited about going on a trip with her dad, a trip that will no doubt get cancelled last minute because you can never keep your word. How the hell am I supposed to deal with that? What am I supposed to say to her? You know, I get that you are incapable of growing up and acting like a responsible adult, but what I don't get is why you keep doing this. Why do you have to get her hopes up just to crush them? She loves you, Christopher. She wants you around. She wants to see you, but no, your damn motorcycle is more important than your kid."

"Hey, you know that's not true."

"Do I?" she asked archly. "Because you'd rather ride around on that thing than be with your daughter so what am I supposed to think?"

"I'm trying to get my life together, okay? I'm trying to figure out what to do and Rory knows that. She's okay with that," Chris defended himself.

"No, she's not, Chris," Lorelai said, her tone softer. "She's just more mature than her father so she gives off the impression that she's okay with it, but she isn't. And she shouldn't have to be. She shouldn't have to be okay with having a father who can't be there for her."

"What do you want me to say, Lor? I'm sorry, okay? "

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You're sorry, great, that's great Chris. 'Sorry' really makes up for all the bull shit you put her through."

"Lorelai, come on-"

"No, don't 'Lorelai, come on'," she mocked angrily while sitting up further. "I'm sick of this. I'm sick of having to cover for you. You know you won't take her for the weekend. You know it won't happen, so why the hell did you even bring it up? Why do I have to be the one to explain to her why you didn't show up because you're too much a coward to do it yourself? Why can't you grow a pair and act like an adult for five minutes?"

"You're making too much out of this, Lorelai. Rory knows I'll take her if I can and if I can't, she'll understand. I don't know why you're making this a big deal."

"Oh my God," Lorelai groaned out of frustration while her face fell to her palm. "Christopher, I swear, one day…"

"Relax, Lor. I'll talk to Rory, okay? She'll be fine."

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Lorelai said before hanging up. "Damn it," she cursed while throwing the phone to the floor, the battery separating from the device when it hit the ground.

Luke was angry- pissed at the jerk on the other line but when he spotted tears welling in Lorelai's eyes, his emotions mellowed. Concern for his girl overpowered everything else. Wordlessly, he pulled her to his body. Lorelai curled to his chest while tucking her hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes as Luke's hold tightened around her. He kissed her forehead as she took a calming breath to try and get herself together.

"I'm sorry," Lorelai apologized, her voice low.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Luke countered gruffly.

"Crying," she argued weakly while wiping a traveling tear from her cheek.

"It's okay. What I'm here for," Luke assured her while lowering them to the bed. When his head reached the pillow, he turned to his side and gathered Lorelai back to his chest. He pulled the sheet to her shoulders and curled his fingers around the curve of her covered hip. He then left small kisses over her forehead and along her cheek before cupping her face in his hand. His thumb swayed back and forth across her skin, wiping away the few tears that fell.

"She deserves better, " Lorelai murmured tiredly.

"Yeah, she does," Luke agreed while smoothing the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip.

Lorelai kissed his thumb before taking his hand in hers and curling it to her chest. Luke spread his palm over her skin and sighed, almost in relief, at the feel of her beating heart. Lorelai held his hand in place while her fingers swept over his knuckles.

"He barely knows her," Lorelai said, her voice quiet. "I don't even think he knows what her favorite color is."

"Blue," Luke said while smoothing her dark curls behind her ear. "Her favorite color is blue."

Lorelai smiled while meeting his eyes. "Yeah," she said softly.

"And her mom likes the color of the sky. Not when its cloudy or rainy, but when the sun is setting and the sky is pink and yellow and orange and blue. She could stare at it for hours," Luke described shyly while watching as his finger wrapped around one of her curls.

"Luke," Lorelai whispered.

"You can't start your day without coffee. You sing 'dancing queen' in the shower. You hate putting clothes away. You use your oven to dry your socks. You'd make some of your own clothes if you had the patience for it. You can't have movie night without red vines. 'The Way We Were' makes you cry but you've seen it a thousand times. You wish you could own a horse. You know you have too many shoes, but you can't stop buying them. Sometimes you miss your parents, but you won't admit it. You can't wear socks to bed. You hate putting in contacts but you think glasses make you look dorky. You're glad that I like your hair curly because straightening it is a pain in the ass. And you'd do anything for your kid. You'd take a bullet for her."

Lorelai looked at him, her eyes having widened a bit as something that rarely happened to the Gilmore occurred; she was speechless.

Luke smiled while daring to meet her eyes. "I know everything about you, Lorelai Gilmore, more than he ever will. I'd do anything to keep you and Rory safe and happy. And even if one day, you don't want me around anymore, I won't stop loving you. I'll still be around, making sure you're okay," Luke promised, his voice gruff, but the words so heartfelt that they made a fresh round of tears cloud Lorelai's blue eyes.

Lorelai pushed away from the pillow and threw her arms around Luke's back. Luke smiled as she barreled into him. He wrapped one arm around her while keeping his other elbow on the mattress to hold himself up.

Lorelai closed her eyes, took a quiet breath, then whispered the words, "I love you," in his ear.

Luke pulled back enough to look at her through furrowed brows. "What?" he questioned.

"I love you," she repeated, this time the words firmer, stronger. "I think maybe I love you more than coffee," she wondered.

"Really?" Luke asked while a smirk took his lips.

Lorelai thought for a moment. "Well, if not more you're definitely tied for first," she said seriously.

Luke couldn't help but laugh.

_TBC…_

**So, I had an idea. How 'bout before you go, you click on that ever so tempting review button and share your thoughts on what you've read. I thrive on feedback, :D. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	32. A Sweet n Sour Easter

As always, thank you all for the wonderful reviews that you've been leaving. I love to hear what you guys think,:D.

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of an Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 32: A Sweet n' Sour Easter**

_Next Morning_

Lorelai grumbled and groaned when the alarm sounded at 4:45 in the morning.

"Sorry," Luke apologized while reaching over to slap the snooze button.

Lorelai sighed while turning over to find Luke's chest. Even though it was only the 3rd time that she's stayed over at his place, a routine was in the making. Alarm, groan, apologize, cuddle, and slip away. It was phase four when Lorelai threw her arm over Luke's bare belly and buried her face in his chest. Without thought, Luke circled his arm around Lorelai's back before leaving a light kiss to the top of her head.

The pair laid in silence as both started to drift back to sleep. That is until 10 minutes later when the alarm rang again.

Lorelai held tight as Luke switched off the alarm. He then looked down at his girl and pressed a promising kiss to her forehead, one that said he would be back.

"Don't go," Lorelai pleaded softly through closed eyes.

"I'll be back," Luke assured her while carefully slipping away from the bed so he wouldn't disturb her.

The minute Luke abandoned his spot Lorelai tossed her pillow to the floor and instead grabbed his to cuddle.

"Shirt," the Gilmore mumbled while blindly sticking out her arm with her palm open and waiting.

Luke smirked while reaching for the discarded flannel that was tossed to the couch the day before. After retrieving the shirt, he threw it to the bed.

Lorelai kicked the blanket away to clumsily spread Luke's flannel over her body. Luke's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of her naked skin and the peak made him start to rethink leaving her. Touching a naked Lorelai was better than the cold shower he would soon have to endure. But the man knew he had a diner to run and so through a regretful sigh, he dragged himself to the bathroom.

"Smells like coffee," Lorelai breathed while drifting back to sleep.

_XOX_

After showering, shaving and brushing his teeth, Luke walked back through the room with a towel sitting around his waist. On the way back to his dresser, he nearly stepped on Lorelai's phone. Quickly, Luke put the device back together and turned it on to find there was two missed calls and a voicemail waiting to be heard.

"Lorelai," Luke said urgently while gently shaking her body awake.

"Mmmm," Lorelai groaned while rolling away from him.

"You have a message on your phone."

Wordlessly, Lorelai reached behind her to take the phone. After tiredly punching in her password, she waited for the message to play. When Ryan, the night manager's voice sounded in her ear, Lorelai opened her eyes. When Ryan said Lisa had a family emergency and they need her first thing in the morning, Lorelai groaned in complaint.

"Rory? Is she okay?" Luke instantly panicked.

"No, not Rory, the Inn. Something's going on with Lisa and they need me to come in today."

"Oh," Luke said through a relieved breath.

"No, no, this is still bad. I promised Rory I would go to the egg hunt with her. We go every year. I can't work," Lorelai argued while dialing the Inn. "Hello… Ryan, hi, I just got your message; what's going on… Is her mom okay?... Heart attack… Oh, man, that's terrible…. Yeah, yeah, no, I'll be there soon so you can go home… yeah, bye, Ryan."

"Her mom had a heart attack?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded while sliding from the bed.

"Shirt," Luke growled while holding the flannel up. No shirt was too distracting for him.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "no time. I have to get home and change. Damn it; Rory's gonna be disappointed. I'm disappointed," she complained through a frowning pout.

"Can't she still go to the egg hunt?" Luke asked while helping her to gather her clothes that bad been thrown about the room the night before.

"No. Kids under 13 need a guardian with them while they hide the eggs."

"Stupid Taylor," Luke grumbled.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "I'd ask to take her since she's taking Lane anyway but it's one kid per adult. Isn't that crazy? A 12 year old can't hide Easter eggs by herself. What, like she'll run off with the one penny per egg? Even if she steals all of the eggs, she wouldn't even make a dollar. Taylor's too cheap to even spare a nickel here and there," Lorelai ranted while putting her bra on. "I have to call Rory. Do you think you can pick her up when you have a lull and bring her to the Inn if I can't get away? I can have her work the afternoon. She'll be happy to make some cash."

"Yeah, of course."

"Thanks, babe," Lorelai said before leaving a passing kiss to his scruffy cheek.

Luke turned to watch as she swiped her jeans from the floor. With his eyes on her, a thought popped into his head while she snapped the denim into place. Without thinking, he made an offer.

"I can take her."

"What?"

"To the egg hunt, I can take Rory."

Lorelai stopped with her shirt in her hand to look at Luke through furrowed brows. "You can do what?"

Luke sighed. "She can only go if an adult's with her, right?"

Lorelai nodded.

"I'm an adult; I can take her."

"But you hate the egg hunt. I listened to an hour long rant last night that proves that fact."

"All I have to do is follow her around, right? Make sure she doesn't run off with the eggs?"

"Right," Lorelai agreed carefully.

"Then I can take her. I'll even keep an eye on her for the rest of the day. I'll take her back here and she can take orders downstairs. She likes taking orders," Luke reasoned through a shrug.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes."

"Are you really sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you really, really sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you really, really ,real-"

"Lorelai," Luke warned.

The Gilmore threw her hands up in surrender. "Okay, you win; you can take her."

"Good," Luke said through a nod while turning to take his watch from the nightstand.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah."

"Are you-"

"Don't finish that sentence," he growled.

Lorelai grinned.

_Later_

_Kim House_

Luke stood outside of the antique store with his hands in his pockets. He glanced over his shoulder and couldn't help but roll his eyes at the scene in the square. Kirk was sitting in front of a long table with Taylor looking over his shoulder, watching as the town spazz carefully dropped exactly one penny into each opened plastic egg. "

"Stupid town," Luke complained.

Luke trailed his gaze around the square to spot another table that was filled with open cartons that contained real colored eggs. An 'Adults Only' sign sat on the table.

"Jeez," Luke grumped. He couldn't understand why Taylor thought kids weren't capable of hiding eggs behind a trashcan or in a bush.

"Hey, Luke," Rory greeted happily, her voice breaking the man from his daze.

"Hey, Rory."

"So mom's at work?"

"Yeah."

"You sure you don't mind taking me? Because it's okay, I can miss it."

"Why should you have to miss it? I can take you."

"I know but you don't like these things."

Luke shrugged and said, "You're the one hiding the eggs; I just have to follow you around. No big deal."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you really sure?"

"I already had this conversation with your mom; I'm not having it again," he warned firmly.

Rory flashed a brilliant smile. "Okay; let's go."

_The Inn_

"Coffee, coffee, coffee!" Lorelai exclaimed as she zoomed through the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee machine.

"Hey, boss," Brett greeted while walking in through the back door of the kitchen.

"Hey," Lorelai said before tipping a full mug to her lips, then downing the contents in a second.

Brett's eyes widened. "Wow. Ever think about going pro?"

"Trust me, Brett, I am nothing if not a pro coffee drinker. And that's what it'll say on my tombstone. The coffee great, Lorelai Gilmore, shall forever be remembered."

Brett shook his head in amazement before walking past a smiling Lorelai to start his shift for the day.

"Hey," Sookie said while popping up at Lorelai's side with a large salad bowl cradled to her. "I thought you were off today. Aren't you supposed to be hiding eggs?"

"Supposed to, yes, but you didn't' hear what happened with Lisa?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sookie realized. "Has anyone heard from her?"

"Not since yesterday."

"Poor thing."

"Yeah."

"So where's Rory?"

"At the egg hunt."

"But I thought she needed someone with her."

"She does. Luke's got her."

"Luke?" Sookie questioned.

Lorelai nodded.

"Luke Danes?"

Lorelai nodded.

"Your boyfriend Luke Danes?"

Lorelai nodded.

"Backwards baseball cap, flannel shirt, scruffy face, your boyfriend Luke Danes?"

Lorelai sighed an impatient breath while putting her coffee mug down on the counter. "Luke is with her, Sookie. Right now, as we speak, he's following her around with a scowl on his face while muttering under his breath about what a pointless holiday this is, and I can assure you, Rory is within hearing distance to listen."

"Exactly my point. Luke hates that stuff."

Lorelai shrugged. "He offered to take her. Insisted actually."

"Wow," Sookie awed. "Looks like you're not the only Gilmore girl whose got Luke Danes wrapped around her finger."

"Guess not," Lorelai agreed through a sly smile.

_The Square_

"You only get five eggs?" Luke asked as Rory took her assigned basket from the table.

The young Gilmore nodded. "Last year I had seven, but there's a new kid this years so everyone gets less," she explained through a shrug. "Do you want to hide one?" she asked while holding up an egg.

"No, you hide; I follow," he said while jabbing his chest.

"Okay. Um, let's see," she said while walking deeper into the square. "Oh, the gazebo!"

Luke quickly followed the girl as she hurried up the stairs to the small gazebo.

Rory stood in the center of the gazebo while turning in circles with a frown on her face.

"The flower pot?" she asked while looking to Luke.

The man nodded.

Rory ran over to one of two small pots that sat on either side of the bench. After she simply placed an egg on top of the dirt, Luke said, "you could dig a hole, stick it in there. Should make it harder to find."

"Oh, good idea!" Rory exclaimed. She went back down to her knees, quickly dug a small hole in the dirt, and then she planted the egg in the spot. "Writing it down?"

"Yup," Luke confirmed while jotting down their first hiding spot on a paper that was given out to the adults so all of the eggs would later be accounted for.

"Okay, four more," Rory announced while getting to her feet.

The prê-teen led the pair down the stairs just as another kid was coming up them with a woman following behind him.

"Oh, the bushes, I should hide one there," Rory realized as she ran to the side of the structure that was lined with foliage.

When Luke saw Rory reach for a neon pink egg, he stopped her and said, "go with green. It'll blend in more. "

"Oh, yeah!" Rory said while exchanging the pink for a green one. "In the middle?"

"Yeah. Try and balance it on a branch, behind some leaves. And pick a low one, that way the sucker's gotta dig around for it."

Rory peaked over her shoulder to find Luke grinning; the girl couldn't help but smirk in return.

"This good?"

Luke bent to inspect her job. "Perfect," he confirmed through a nod.

"Good. Three more. Which color should I do next?"

Luke shrugged. "Depends on the spot."

"Oh, right, that makes sense."

Luke nodded as they continued to walk along.

"So, did mom tell you that the winner gets a 25 dollar gift certificate to the book store?"

"Winner?" Luke questioned.

"Yeah. Whichever kid ends up with the least amount of their eggs found, they win. I got 3rd place last year so Taylor gave me a coupon for Al's pancake world."

"If you win, you can buy that book you've been wanting to get," Luke realized.

Rory nodded enthusiastically.

"You know, if you just ask your mom, I'm sure she'd buy you that book."

"I know, but I feel bad asking. She's been making more money with the promotion but still it has to be hard for her. She has to pay for everything by herself; she doesn't have a husband to help her."

Luke nodded. "You're a good kid, you know that?"

Rory smiled. "Thanks."

_Later_

_Diner_

"Good afternoon, Miss. Patty. What can I get you?" Rory recited perfectly with a bright smile lighting her face and a pen and notepad ready to go in her hands.

"Yes. I'd love a Cesar salad, dressing on the side," Patty ordered with a big smile.

"Cesar salad, dressing on the side," Rory repeated while writing the words down. "Would you like a drink with that?"

"Oh, yes. Iced tea, please."

"Iced tea; got it. Your order will be ready soon," Rory promised while taking her neighbor's menu from the table.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"You're welcome."

With the order pad held tightly in her hand the menu pressed securely to her chest, Rory turned behind the counter to first return the menu to where it belonged. She then ripped Patty's order from the pad and slapped the paper on the counter while shouting, "order in!" just as Luke always did.

"Thanks!" Luke called from the kitchen while reaching for the ticket.

After her job was done, Rory slipped the notepad to the pocket of her apron while looking up to survey the diner. An elderly couple by the window had just started on their meals, Kirk was finishing his and Patty was waiting on hers. When Rory realized there was no one else to take orders from, she turned to the kitchen.

"Hey, Luke?" the Gilmore called from the doorframe.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want me to clean the counter or something? I think it's a lull out there."

"Oh yeah, you could if you want. Or, uh, you wanna help with the salad?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll help," Rory offered excitedly while darting farther into the kitchen.

Luke smiled and said, "I'll get you a chair so you can sit."

After taking a stool from the diner and putting it in front of the counter, Luke zipped through the room to collect the ingredients that were needed.

"Okay, you know how to cut lettuce?"

"Um, with a knife?" she questioned.

"Nope. You rip it with your hands. Cutting it up with a knife makes it go bad faster. You rip it, it lasts longer incase someone takes home leftovers or something," he explained.

"Rip it. Will do," Rory said through a firm nod.

"Good. Why don't you go wash your hands, then you're set to go."

"Wow, I'm gonna cook," Rory awed while jumping to her feet.

"Making a salad isn't cooking," Luke grumbled.

"It's as close to cooking as I've ever gotten," Rory said from the sink. "And I should probably learn some things because I have to take Home Ec next year."

"I could teach you the basics," Luke offered.

"Really?" Rory asked through wide eyes.

"Sure, why not."

"But teaching me how to cook will be hard. I'm a Gilmore, remember? Everyone says I take after mom and we all know she can't cook."

"You do, and she can't," Luke agreed firmly.

"See," Rory said through a frown.

"You have a longer attention span than your mom. We'll give it a try."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't start that again," Luke warned through a pointing index finger.

Rory had to keep from laughing.

_XOX_

With the Inn short staffed, Lorelai had to wait until four o'clock to take her break. She knew she had 30 minutes, tops and so quickly she made her way to the diner.

When Lorelai walked inside she found the room to be fairly empty with the dinner crowd not arriving for at least another hour or so.

"Oh, hunky diner man! Darling seed! Where are you!?" Lorelai sang while walking through the room.

"Back here!" Luke called from the kitchen.

With curiosity in her eyes, Lorelai wondered behind the counter to peak into the kitchen. She found Rory and Luke side by side, Rory sitting on a stool and Luke standing next to her.

"Just drop it in?"

"Yup."

"Okay," Rory said while leaning up on her legs to drop some spaghetti noodles into a boiling pot of water.

"Just put it up against the side."

"Like this?" Rory asked after propping the hard pasta to the rim of the pot.

"Just like that."

Watching the scene, Lorelai couldn't help but smile at what she saw. She almost didn't want to disturb the moment but her curiosity got the better of her; she was dying to know what happened at the egg hunt.

"So is she a cooking prodigy? Should we ditch that pesky Harvard dream and send her straight to chef school instead?"

Rory turned in her seat to show her mom a happy smile. "I made eggs!" And bacon! Well, turkey bacon, but I made it!"

"Wow," Lorelai awed while walking further into the room. "What kind of eggs?" she asked while smoothing her daughter's hair over her shoulder.

"Um, scrambled, sunny side up and… what was the other one?"

"Over easy," Luke filled in.

"Right, over easy. That's when you start to cook the egg sunny side up, but then you flip it over so both sides cook. Right?"

"Right," Luke agreed.

Lorelai smiled. "And what's this you have going on?"

"Spaghetti. I love spaghetti," Rory gushed while turning back to the pot.

"Us Gilmore girls love our carbs," Lorelai agreed just before the bell rang, signaling that another customer had walked in.

"Oh, I got it!" Rory exclaimed while jumping down from her seat. She swiped the order pad from the counter then ran from the kitchen, nearly plowing over her mother in the process.

Lorelai laughed as she stumbled back against the doorframe just in time.

"So you openly defying child labor laws?" Lorelai teased as she watched Rory take Mrs. Cassini's order.

"Yup."

Lorelai smiled while coming up behind Luke to wrap her arms around his middle. She pressed her cheek to his back while squeezing tight.

"I'm guessing today went okay," she murmured.

"Yeah, it was good."

"Good? Really?" Lorelai asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Luke confirmed through a shrug.

"So you didn't spend every minute hating it? What happened to hiding plastic eggs is a waste of time?"

"She didn't take long to hide the eggs and she had fun so you know, it was-"

"Good?" Lorelai offered through a growing smile.

"Yeah."

Lorelai grinned further. "She's been good here? Not bothering you too much?"

"She doesn't bother me; you know that."

"Yes, but I also know that you like your Luke time," Lorelai argued softly while smoothing her hand up and down his back.

"Luke time?" the man questioned gruffly.

"Yeah, your solo time. You like your routine and your routine is working here during the day without a cooking buddy who can chat your ear off if given the chance."

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "she didn't talk that much. And she's been taking orders so I could stay back here so it worked out good."

"So she's earning those cooking lessons, huh?

"She earned more than that. Only a couple of hours and she's got thirty bucks in tips. And the whole time it's been slow out there."

"Damn, I shoulda been a waiter," Lorelai awed while looking over her shoulder in time to see Rory heading back to the kitchen. "You know you don't have to let her keep the tips."

Luke shrugged and said, "she's working for it."

"Order in!"

After going through the routine she learned, Rory hurried back to the kitchen while organizing her money.

"Babette left a five dollar tip. I can't believe she left that much," the pre-teen said while sliding the cash into her pocket.

"Make that thirty five," Luke murmured.

"Did it do anything while I was gone?" Rory asked while climbing up on her stool.

"Nope. Takes a while to get soft," he explained while grabbing the next ticket. "Ready to tackle grilled cheese?"

"Oh, that I know how to do. That's what we make when we run out of leftover take out."

"And let me guess- you burn the bread every time."

"Not _every _time," Lorleai grumbled in defense.

"Close enough," Rory agreed.

"Hey, before you pick a side remember who birthed you, missy."

Rory turned to smile at her mom.

"Make me a burger and fries and I'll forgive you both for insulting my cooking skills."

"Coming up," Luke promised.

"Help Luke with Babette's order, then we gotta head back to the Inn, kay, babe?"

"Oh," Rory said while trying not to show her disappointment. "Okay."

"She can stay here if you want," Luke offered. "You'll probably be busy at the Inn, right? She can stay here and help out. I can bring her back to your house later. I was gonna take her to you anyway," Luke reasoned.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked.

"If someone asks me that one more time..."

Lorelai smiled while turning to Rory. "You want to stay here?"

"Yeah," Rory said eagerly. "If it's okay with you."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay by me. I'll be home by 9:00. I have to wait until Ryan comes in for the night."

"Okay, I'll bring her home after we close."

"Thank you," Lorelai said before kissing his cheek. "If she tries to set anyone or anything on fire just call me and I'll get her."

Luke rolled his eyes. "We'll be fine. Now go sit. Your food will be ready soon."

"Bossy man."

"Only employees allowed in the kitchen. Go sit, mom," Rory echoed.

"Hey, I'm with the owner; doesn't that count for anything?"

"Nope," Rory and Luke said at the same time.

Lorelai frowned, a pout taking her lips.

"You don't want to get hurt, right? Something could fall on your head. Now come on, Miss, I'll show you to your seat," Rory offered while taking her mom's hand and leading her to the dining room.

Luke grinned at the scene while Lorelai looked over her should to stick her tongue out at Luke.

_Later_

_Crapshack_

It was just a quarter to nine when Lorelai walked through the front door. She hung her jacket up on the rack, and then stopped at the table to unload her keys and purse. When she turned to the living room, she found Rory and Luke sitting together on the couch. A popcorn bowl sat between them and their feet were hanging on the coffee table as their eyes were glued to the T.V.

"Do you think she's pretty?" Rory asked about a woman on T.V.

"I guess."

"Prettier than mom?"

Luke spread a smile. "No, not prettier than your mom."

"Wow, I beat out Courtney Cox. Score."

At the same time, Rory and Luke turned their heads to find Lorelai standing behind the couch.

"Hey, mom."

"Hey, sweets," Lorelai said before kissing her daughter's cheek. She then moved to Luke to greet him with a 'hey, hon," before leaving a light kiss to his lips. "So what's going on here?"

"Watching 'Friends'," Rory answered.

"Both of you?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, Mr. Clearly Playing Favorites, haven't I tried to get you to watch this?"

"I don't know. Have you?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Yes, but you have selective watching. Unless it's about sports, you won't watch it. That is, apparently until now," Lorelai grumbled. "So how'd she do it? Big, puppy dog eyes? Frowning lips? Did she give you the Rory face?"

"Yup," Luke said through a sigh.

"Damn, can't compete with that."

"I even got him to make me popcorn _and_ put extra butter on it," Rory gloated.

"Aw, babe, you're Gilmore whipped."

"Can you say no to the Rory face?" Luke challenged.

"No, she can't," Rory answered.

"See," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai smiled.

_XOX_

"Thank you again for taking her," Lorelai said while walking Luke to the door.

"Anytime."

Lorelai smiled while circling her arms around his neck and leaning into his chest. "I'll thank you properly tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?"

Lorelai nodded. "You, me, movies. What do you say?"

Luke grinned while spreading his hands over her hips. "What time are you getting back from your parents?"

"Not too late. I'll play the 'Rory has school' card, so 7, 8," she guessed.

"Movie it is," he agreed.

"We'll go to BWR so we can cuddle and make out."

"I'm not cuddling in public."

"You said cuddling," Lorelai teased through her giggles.

Luke sighed while pulling her closer if that were possible. Lorelai smiled as she pressed her cheek to his flannel.

"You doin' okay?" he asked gruffly.

"I am now."

Luke kissed the top of her head while sneaking his thumbs up under her shirt.

"Want me to put his head through a wall?"

"Yes, but you can't," Lorelai said through a sigh. "Rory."

Luke nodded in understanding. "If she wants me to, I will."

"You're sweet."

"Not sweet," he countered gruffly.

"So sweet," Lorelai argued before kissing his flannel-covered chest.

"Punching somebody is sweet?"

"You'd beat up a guy you don't know for my daughter's sake. That's incredibly sweet."

"Your sake too," he added.

Lorelai smiled while tipping her face up to look at him. "Kiss goodnight?"

Luke nodded before leaving a small to her lips, one that left Lorelai pouting.

"You'll do better tomorrow night. Or else," she warned.

"I will," he promised. "Goodnight, Lorelai."

"Goodnight, Luke," she said while untangling her arms from his neck.

"Call if you need anything," he said while opening the door to leave.

"I will."

Lorelai wrapped her arms around her belly while watching him go. When his foot touched down on the lawn, she yelled form him to wait.

"Yeah?" he asked while turning around.

Lorelai wanted to ask him to stay. It was late, he really helped her out during the day and more than that, she wanted him in bed with her. She wanted him next to her; she wanted him to hold her; she wanted to fall asleep with his arm around her. She just wanted him there. But even though the question formed in her mind, the words didn't reach her lips. Something stopped her from asking. The thought of having a boy sleepover in the house she shared with Rory, even though that boy was Luke, she just couldn't do it.

"I'll, uh, call you tomorrow when I'm leaving. You know, so you're ready and everything."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, that'll work."

"Bye, Luke."

"Bye, Lorelai."

And with that, Lorelai sighed as he hopped into his truck.

_Next Day_

_Gilmore Mansion_

After drinks had been served in the living room, the maid called everyone in for dinner.

"So it's just us? Dad's not here?" Lorelai asked while following her mother into the dining room.

"No. There was bad weather in Vancouver so your father is there until the snow clears."

"Snow in April. Wow," Lorelai awed while taking her seat.

"It's not so unusual in Canada, Lorelai."

"Right, right. Canada is famous for the snow."

"Grandpa's spending Easter alone?" Rory asked worriedly.

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Well, hopefully he's found a nice hooker to brighten up the holiday."

Emily dropped her fork to her plate while bringing her impatient stare to Lorelai.

"Joke, mom, it was a joke."

"I don't understand your sense of humor, Lorelai."

"Very few people do."

Emily sighed while focusing her attention on her granddaughter.

"How are you doing in school, Rory?"

"I'm doing good."

"As always," Lorelai threw in.

"Have you been seeing your friends?"

"Yeah, I see Lane all the time."

"Did you do anything special this weekend? Your mother mentioned there was some kind of Easter egg hunt in your town yesterday."

"Oh, yeah Luke took me. He's really good at hiding the eggs. Probably because he was a boy scoot when he was little," she reasoned through a shrug.

"Luke? Whose Luke?" Emily questioned as instantly her eyes found her daughter's.

Lorelai narrowed her stare at Rory before looking back to Emily.

"Oops," Rory muttered through a wince.

"Lorelai, I asked you a question," Emily pressed.

"He's a friend, okay, mom," Lorelai said impatiently.

"A friend?" Emily asked skeptically. "He must be a good friend if you let him look after your daughter for the day."

"He is," Lorelai agreed.

"If he's so good of a friend, why have you never mentioned him before?"

"It's not like we talk on the phone every day, chit-chatting about our personal lives, mom. It just didn't come up."

A silent moment passed before Emily asked, "How long have you been seeing him?"

"What?" Lorelai asked dumbly.

"Don't take me for a fool, Lorelai. This man is obviously of importance to you if you're allowing him to spend time alone with your daughter. How long have you been seeing him?"

Lorelai sighed before saying, "two months. Okay? I've been seeing him for two months."

"Two months?" Emily awed.

"Yes," Lorelai sang impatiently.

"And how long have you known him?"

"Why does that matter?"

"It matters because I'm your mother and I'm curious about the man you're seeing. Don't I have a right to be curious? I mean we see you a few times a year and this is the first time any mention of a man has come up. Now how long have you known him?"

Lorelai glanced at her daughter to see Rory mouth the word 'Sorry' before she looked to Emily.

"Lorelai, it's a simple question. If you'll just answer it, the conversation will move to a new topic."

"He lives in town, mom, so I've known him for a while."

"How long is a while? Months? Years?"

"What happened to the conversation moving on?"

"You must have known him for a good amount of time if you let him look after Rory," Emily reasoned.

"He's lived in Stars Hollow longer than I have. I've seen him around for years, but he opened a diner in September and I met him there. Luke and I have been friends since September. We went out in February. That's all the Luke information you're getting, so can we please move on?" Lorelai begged, through her voice didn't leave much room for argument.

"I want to meet this man," Emily declared.

"That is the opposite of moving on."

"If you've been seeing him for two months and he's spending time with my granddaughter than I want to meet him," Emily said firmly.

"But, mom-"

"Are you serious about this man?"

"What?"

"You heard me; are you serious about him? If you're not than I won't waste my time meeting a passing ship. Is he a passing ship, Lorelai?"

The Gilmore sighed before reluctantly saying, "No, he's not a passing ship."

"Then it's settled. Let me get my calendar and we'll decide on a date for you to bring him to dinner," Emily said while getting up from her seat.

Once Emily was gone from the room, Lorelai looked at her daughter expectantly.

"I'm sorry, it just slipped out," Rory said helplessly.

Lorelai sighed.

_TBC…_

**So, thoughts? Questions? Opinions? Please feel free to share! In fact, I encourage that you do! :D Thanks for reading!**


	33. A Not So Happy Birthday

Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews on the last chapter! Your kind words give me that push to keep writing!

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Women and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chatper 33: A Not So Happy Birthday**

_Late April_

_Crapshack _

"Why! Why did I agree to this!?"

"I'm sorry!" Rory apologized for the thousandth time.

"Evil, that woman is pure evil," Lorelai murmured while running a brush through her daughter's hair.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Rory said through a shrug.

Lorelai gave her daughter a look in the mirror.

"Or maybe it will."

Lorelai sighed.

"She just wants to meet Luke," Rory muttered meekly.

"She wants to meet Luke so she can criticize Luke. The second we walk through that door, her claws'll be out and ready to tear him apart. God, I can only imagine what she'll say when she finds out he owns a diner," Lorelai said worriedly.

"What's so bad about owning a diner?"

"Nothing to normal people, but Emily Gilmore will find a million things wrong with it.," Lorelai explained. "Even dad might throw in a few subtle digs. This whole evening is just a disaster waiting to happen. I've got a bad feeling about it," Lorelai said through a wince.

"I'm nervous," Rory admitted while pressing her hand to her belly. "I don'twant grandma to be mean to Luke."

Lorelai smiled sympathetically at her daughter and said, "me either, babe. "

"If she's mean to him, can we leave?"

"If it gets to be too much, then yes, we'll leave," Lorelai promised.

"Lorelai?" a voice called from the front door.

"Coming!"

"I can finish," Rory offered while taking the brush from her mom's hand.

Lorelai smiled before kissing Rory's cheek and getting to her feet. "Five minutes?"

The young Gilmore nodded.

"Okay, meet us inside when you're ready."

Rory gave Lorelai a small smile before turning back to the mirror to focus on her hair.

After leaving her daughter's room, Lorelai turned from the kitchen and into the foyer where she found Luke fussing with his pants.

"Wow, hey, you look nice," Lorelai complimented through wide eyes when she spotted his black trousers then a blue button down shirt that was coated with a black leather jacket.

The man's head snapped up at her voice. "You say that like I shouldn't," Luke grumbled. "You've seen me like this before."

"Yeah, when we go out somewhere fancy. This isn't your everyday casual wear," she said while waving her hand up and down his body.

"We're going to your parents house," Luke explained. "Don't they live in a mansion or something?"

"Yup, one that could house everyone in this town, all the shoes in my closet, plus your entire flannel collection. There'd even be room in the corner for your ball cap."

"So I should look like this, shouldn't I?" Luke pointed out while gesturing to his body.

Lorelai sighed. "Okay, fine, so maybe it's a good idea to ditch the lumberjack look for tonight, but, babe, I don't want you going to any lengths, extreme or little, to impress my parents. I'm telling you right now, they've probably already formed their opinions of you and there's nothing you or I can do or say to change their minds. Whatever they say to you, however they act, it doesn't matter. Okay? You just- in one ear and out the other, okay?"

Luke nodded.

"And that pie in your hand, that'd better not be for my parents."

"Lorelai, "he warned gruffly. "Relax; it'll be fine."

"Yeah, well, one can only hope."

"Its just dinner."

"I shouldn't have said yes to this. I know how they are; I know how my mother gets. Emily doesn't play well with strangers, especially ones who rent their suits. Maybe we should take my car," she said thoughtfully. "We don't need to give her more ammo."

"Lorelai-"

"And you probably shouldn't' mention that you live above your diner."

"What happened to not going to extreme lengths," he reminded her roughly.

"I'm trying to protect you."

"I should be protecting you."

"You don't know my parents, Luke. My mother shows no mercy."

"I can take care of myself."

Lorelai shook her head. "We shouldn't' go. We really shouldn't. I need to cancel before it gets too late," Lorelai said while turning for the phone, but Luke grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Don't cancel," he said. "I have to meet them eventually, don't I?"

"No," she denied stubbornly.

"They're your parents," he countered gruffly. "I have to at some point and I don't think waiting five years to meet them is a good idea."

"Five years?" Lorelai questioned curiously.

Luke nodded.

"Five years is a long time from now."

Luke shrugged.

"So you're thinking about five years from now?"

"What?"

"You said waiting five years to meet them isn't a good idea. "

"It's not," Luke said through furrowed brows.

Lorelai smiled hugely, the move making the confusion on Luke's face grow wider.

"Five years," Lorelai whispered while falling into his chest.

Luke automatically wrapped his arms around her body to hold her close. He kissed the top of her head while rubbing his hands up and down her back.

"Happy birthday," Luke whispered after a silent moment.

"Not yet," Lorelai argued while tipping her chin up to look at him. "One more day 'till I hit the big 2 9."

"Got something planned for tomorrow."

"You do?"

Luke nodded through a content smile as he tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Rory's idea, but I added something to it."

"Ah, my boyfriend and my daughter are in cahoots."

"You'll like it," he promised.

"And if I don't?" she challenged.

"All the coffee you want, no charge, no lecture."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Wow, so I'm _really_ gonna like it."

"I hope so," he said through a sigh. "It's nothing big or anything, but I think it'll make you happy."

"You make me happy," Lorelai countered with a tilt of her chin in his direction. "And when we're rolling around in bed, forget it; I'm over the moon ecstatically happy," she whispered through a grin.

"None of that tomorrow," Luke said regretfully.

"No sex on my birthday?" Lorelai asked while pulling out a pout.

"Lorelai," Luke warned gruffly as he tried not to look.

"Don't you wanna be naked with me on my birthday?" she asked through wide, innocent eyes. "I only turn 29 once. Don't you wanna make it a birthday I'll never, ever forget?"

Luke nodded while stepping away from her, though his hands remained on her hips. "You know we can't. You'll be here with Rory, and you should be," he said firmly.

"Wanna be with both of you," Lorelai argued petulantly.

"I'll be here during the day; you know I wouldn't miss that," he said while pulling her close again.

Lorelai nodded while hooking her arms around his back. A sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to his chest. And once again, as it did just two weeks earlier, the urge to ask Luke to stay overpowered her. She wanted to invite her boyfriend to stay the night of her birthday. She didn't like the thought of spending the day with him, an important day, then having to see him go.

But before Lorelai could organize her thoughts and her feelings, Rory emerged from her room.

"Okay, I'm ready," the youngest Gilmore announced while walking through the kitchen.

Lorelai lifted away from Luke to give her daughter a smile. "Ready, Cool hand?"

Luke nodded.

"Oh wait, Gimme that," she said while taking the covered pie from his hand and putting down next to the phone. "Kay, let's hit the road."

_Hartford_

"Make a right up here," Lorelai instructed.

Luke did as he was told and after turning on to another street, Luke followed Lorelai's pointing finger to a driveway.

"Jeez, could it be an bigger," Luke muttered in aw with his eyes glued to the house as it came into view.

"That's what she said."

Luke spared Lorelai a quick warning glance before looking back out the windshield.

"You didn't say dad was coming," Rory said from where she sat between the two adults.

"What?" Lorelai asked. "He isn't."

"Isn't that his bike?" Rory asked while pointing to the motorcycle at the end of the driveway.

"Oh, my God," Lorelai panicked after leaning up in her seat to get a better look. "She's an evil genius; my mother is an evil genius."

"Your dad's here?" Luke asked Rory, who nodded in confirmation.

"I did not see this coming. How did I not see this coming? Oh, I'm gonna kill her."

"Why is he here?" Luke nearly growled.

"This is why she insisted on doing it for my birthday. It's the perfect excuse to invite him over. Oh, she's good, she's very good."

"I thought dad couldn't see me until summer," Rory said confusedly.

"That woman should sell cars; she's that manipulative."

"Grandma's gonna get mad if we're late," Rory said worriedly.

"Your grandma can shove it up her-"

"Lorelai."

The Gilmore sighed. "Let's go."

_XOX_

"Here goes nothing," Lorelai said before ringing the bell.

Rory looked to Luke then tugged on the sleeve of his jacket to get his attention. When he leaned towards her ear, she whispered, "Is it okay that dad's here?"

Luke nodded, though he wanted to say otherwise, but for Rory he managed a smile.

Rory nodded while giving him a smile back.

"Sure you don't wanna turn back?" Lorelai murmured quietly.

Luke shook his head. "Might as well get it over with."

Lorelai nodded as she gave his hand a squeeze.

"Hello. May I help you?" a maid said as the door swung open.

"If only you could."

"We're here for dinner," Rory answered.

The maid nodded while taking a step back to allow them in.

"Good, you're here," Emily said while coming from the living room. "Happy birthday, Lorelai."

"Yeah, thanks; can I talk to you for a sec?" Lorelai said quickly through a forced smile.

"Lorelai, we have company."

"Yes, I know; there's proof of that company sitting on two wheels right outside; now a minute please," Lorelai demanded.

Emily sighed but nonetheless, she led the way to the kitchen.

"Rory, show Luke inside?"

The prê-teen nodded.

"Thank you, I'll be right back," Lorelai said before hurrying to the kitchen.

"May I take your jackets?" the maid asked.

"Oh, yeah," Rory realized while hurrying to unzip her hoodie as Luke was quick to take off his jacket.

After handing their things off to the maid, Rory took Luke's hand while looking up to smile at him. "Mom and I will eat really fast so we don't have to stay long, okay?"

Luke grinned and said, "You two always eat fast."

"We'll eat extra fast tonight."

"You eat like you normally do," Luke argued gruffly. "I don't want you rushing. This is your chance to see your dad so don't rush on my account, okay?"

Rory thought for a moment and then said, "okay," through an unsure look on her face.

_Kitchen_

"Really, mother? You reall_y_ invited Christopher? _Really?"_

"What's wrong with inviting Christopher? We see him on holidays and special occasions, don't we? This is a special occasion."

"Bull."

"Lorelai!"

"Why would you invite him without telling me?" Lorelai demanded while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I didn't think I had to. I thought it was implied," Emily defended stiffly.

"You thought it was implied that my ex would be invited to the birthday dinner that I'm bringing my boyfriend to? In what universe would that be implied?"

"You do remember Christopher is Rory's father, don't you?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "He doesn't show up on Easter, and you don't say a peep. But when you find out about Luke, suddenly you're running to the phone to make sure he shows up for my birthday? Why? Why did you invite him? There was no reason to. I don't want him here."

"Rory wants to see her father, Lorelai. I invited the man so your daughter could spend some time with her father."

"You know, you can lie to dad and you can lie to Chris, but I know why you really invited him here, and it's not okay. You're playing with fire, mother. You should be careful that you don't get burned," Lorelai warned before turning to leave the room.

_Living room. _

"Hi, grandpa," Rory greeted while walking through the room with Luke by her side.

The man peaked up from the book he was reading to give his granddaughter a smile. "Hello, Rory," he said while slipping a bookmarker between two pages, then setting the novel down on the table.

"Hi, dad."

"Hey, kid!" Chris boosted while standing from his seat. "Give your dad, a hug?"

Rory smiled while letting go of Luke's hand to open her arms to her father.

Luke frowned a bit while looking down at his empty hand. When he looked up, Chris was spinning a giggling Rory in circles.

"Good to see you, Rory," Chris said over the girl's shoulder while practically glaring at Luke.

"You too, dad. I really missed you," Rory returned as he set her back on her feet.

"Drinks? Does anybody need a drink? I need a drink," Lorelai said while zooming through the room.

"I'll take whatever you're having, Lor," Chris said while taking Rory's hand then leading them to the couch.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked while looking over her shoulder.

"Beer is fine," he said while coming up behind her.

"A beer?" Richard question as if the idea were ridiculous. "Well, I don't think I know anyone who drinks beer," he said thoughtfully.

"You don't, dear," Emily supplied while coming back into the room. "Our friends don't enjoy having their drinks straight from the bottle," she said through an overly pleasant smile.

"And we're off," Lorelai muttered.

_XOX_

Everyone was gathered around the dinner table. Emily and Richard sat on either end with Rory and Chris on one side, and Luke and Lorelai on the other. Somehow, and Lorelai couldn't' figure out how, but Luke managed to get seated right across from Chris.

"So, Luke, what do you do for a living?" Richard asked.

"Doctor," Lorelai coughed.

"I own a diner."

"I told you he owns a diner, Richard," Emily reminded him dully.

"Damn, forgot that cat was outta the bag," Lorelai murmured.

"A diner?" Chris questioned. "Last diner I went to had a deer head hanging up on the wall. Got any deer heads?"

"No deer heads, Chris," Lorelai answered.

"The coffee sucked. Diner coffee always sucks. Yours must be different though. Lorelai wouldn't waste her time with someone who makes sucky coffee. Right, Lor?"

"Chris," Lorelai warned.

The man in question tossed his hands up in surrender before focusing back on his meal.

"So, a diner," Richard started. "Is it safe to assume you don't have a college education then?"

"Well, uh, I started college, but I had to quit after a year."

"Ah, well, don't feel bad. Some aren't cut out for higher education."

"His dad was sick. He had to quit to take care of him," Lorelai defended.

Underneath the table, Luke gave her knee a gentle to squeeze to let her know it was okay.

"There's no reason to get excited, Lorelai," Emily threw in. "We didn't know about his father."

"Well, now you do."

"Luke makes really good pancakes," Rory offered and suddenly every pair of eyes turned to her. "They're really fluffy and he always puts chocolate chips in 'em for us."

"Now I see how you landed her," Chris said. "Just kept feeding her 'till she gave in, huh? Or did you just spike her coffee on day one?"

Lorelai's fork fell from her hand and to the plate beneath it. "Chris, a word," she said, her voice leaving no room for argument as she stood from her chair.

"Right behind ya," he said while sliding from his chair.

After a moment of silence at the table, Rory looked up at Luke to show him her frown, but the man gave her a small, reassuring smile before excusing himself from the table.

_Patio_

"What the hell are you doing?" Lorelai hissed the second they stepped outside.

"I _was_ eating 'till you pulled me out here."

"And drinking," she murmured.

"When in Rome, right?"

"Why are you here, Chris?" she demanded.

"Again, you pull-"

"Christopher."

"Your mom invited me," he said through a shrug.

"My mom invited you to Easter too, but you didn't show up then," Lorelai countered. "Why now? Why can you suddenly show up now? You told Rory you couldn't see her until the summer."

"Things changed."

"But not people."

"What?"

Lorelai closed her eyes while blowing out a frustrated breath. "You don't really wanna be here so why don't you hop on your bike and go back to the open road. You hate dinner parties," Lorelai said while waving her hand at the street.

"I do wanna be here," he argued. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Chris-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the front door opened and Luke slipped out.

"There you are. I was looking for you."

"We're having a conversation; do you mind?" Chris asked while taking a step towards him.

Luke ignored him and instead said to Lorelai, "your daughter wants you."

"Our daughter. She's our daughter!" Chris exclaimed while gesturing between him and Lorelai. "You can give her all the pancakes in the world; she's still _our_ daughter!"

"Yeah?" Luke challenged. "Then where the hell were ya when she got the chickenpox and would only eat mashed potatoes for a week? Who was the one who took her to the Easter egg hunt? Who taught her how to rip up floor boards? Huh? Cause it sure as hell wasn't you."

"Luke, please, this is not the time, " Lorelai pleaded.

"Where I was is none of your damn business. Rory is my daughter and Lorelai's daughter, and that's it," Chris said firmly.

"Well, I'm with Lorelai!"

"For now!"

"What does that mean, for now? What is that, a threat?"

"Lorelai and I belong together. Everyone knows it! I know it! Emily knows it!"

Luke's attention whipped to Lorelai, his eyes wide and his face shocked. "What?"

Before Lorelai could say anything, Chris said, "Look, I blew it, okay? I know that I blew it. You waited, and I didn't come through, and now you're with him, but it's not too late! I mean that's why I'm here, okay? I know you're with him, but it's for now; it's not forever. It's just for now. I know that."

Lorelai shook her head furiously. "Luke, I don't know what he's talking about!"

"I gotta get outta here," Luke said while taking his arm back and heading for the driveway.

"No, Luke, wait-"

"Lor, don't," Chris started urgently.

"Christopher, get outta my way!" Lorelai exclaimed before chasing after Luke.

It was too late though. By the time Lorelai reached him, he was in his truck. Her eyes were pleading for him to stop when she met his through the window. Luke held her stare for a minute, his mind torn. He wanted to talk it out, he wanted to figure out what the hell was going on, but it was too much, between her ex and her parents, the whole night was too much. And so he pulled away from her carefully, then once he cleared her body, he hurried down the street.

Lorelai felt the tears welling in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her belly.

_Later_

Not five minutes after Luke left, Lorelai hurried back inside and grabbed Rory. They left without any explanation, and Rory knew not to ask her mother for one. They waited not ten minutes at the end of the block for a bus, one that took them back to Star's Hollow.

Rory followed her mom to a seat, then cuddled up to her side when they sat down. Lorelai wrapped her arms around her daughter, then looked down to give Rory a smile.

"Is Luke okay?" Rory asked quietly.

Lorelai nodded. "He just needed to get home, babe."

"But we'll see him tomorrow?"

Lorelai debated for a minute about whether or not to tell the truth but after a moment, she said, "yes," after realizing that she didn't have the energy to explain.

"Okay," Rory said hesitantly before closing her eyes and pressing her face to her mom's tummy.

Lorelai held her daughter tight while her eyes trailed to the window.

_Stars Hollow_

"I think I'm gonna go up to bed, kay, hon?" Lorelai asked as they walked through the foyer.

Rory nodded. "I'm tired too."

"Good, come on, I'll tuck you in," Lorelai said while putting her hand to Rory's back and leading her to the kitchen.

They walked in silence down the hall and into the kitchen when Rory noticed something on the counter.

Through furrowed brows, Lorelai approached the counter to find a note and two to-go cups of Luke's coffee.

**Hey, sorry for leaving you there like that, but I just need some time to think, okay?**

**Happy birthday, Lorelai. **

"No," Lorelai whispered."Luke, no," she cried as tears sprung in her eyes.

Time, needing time, Lorelai knew it was the kiss of death.

_TBC…_

**Review? I'd love to hear your thoughts, :D**.

**Thanks for reading!**


	34. The Break Up

Have I mentioned lately that I love you, my wonderful readers, my fabulous reviewers? Because I do, a lot, :D. And if you keep those fantastic reviews coming, I will love you even more!

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 34: The Break Up**

For two hours, Lorelai laid in bed with Luke's note in her hand. She read the words over and over again, trying to decipher what he meant by needing time. What did he need time for? How much time was enough? Those were the big question floating around in her head.

Lorelai sighed after reading the note for the 100th time. She let the flimsy paper drop to her blanket covered lap before turning to the nightstand for her cell phone. She guessed the short time that passed wasn't enough; she knew calling him might make the situation worse, but she couldn't stop her hand from reaching for the phone.

Lorelai punched in the numbers quickly, dialing the memorized sequence fast before her mind could talk her heart out of calling.

It rang three times and then his answering machine picked up.

"Hey, um, it's me. I'm sorry to be calling you so late. I know you usually go to bed early because of the diner and deliveries and everything and you're probably sleeping, or you're just not answering the phone, which I get, but I really need to… I got your note. The coffee was- well, I didn't have any of it, but I bet it was good. I could live on your coffee. I may need a pie every now and then to keep my body from going into a lack of sugar shock, but for the most part your coffee hits the spot," Lorelai rambled before taking a breath. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to get cut off any second now, so if you could please just call me, Luke. We need to just talk this out. Those things Christopher said, they're not true. I don't want to be with him, Luke, I don't. I want you. I love you," she stressed. "Please, just, call me, okay? Please."

Lorelai hung up, and then placed the phone back on the nightstand. She reached back a second later to hike up the volume, but frowned after finding that it was already up to highest level it could reach.

"Gonna be a long night," Lorelai murmured after checking the time to find that it was just after 10.

Some of the world was safely tucked in bed for the night and headed to dream land; most of Stars Hollow had been there since 9:00. Lorelai couldn't help but wonder if Luke was one of the many or if he was lying awake like she was. If he was worrying, and thinking, and confused just like Lorelai Gilmore was.

_XOX_

Another 60 minutes went by. The time was ticking by slower than a turtle crossing the street. And after another sleepless hour came and went by ever so slowly, Lorelai cursed her T.V-less room. She grew annoyed when finding there was nothing nearby to entertain her, nothing to keep her busy, nothing to pass the time, nothing to keep her mind from Luke. She didn't even have a working radio in her bedroom. Luke was supposed to take a look at the device days ago but the task kept getting put off because of more important things and while lying awake at 11:03 p.m on a Friday night, Lorelai wondered if the poor boom box would ever get fixed- if Luke would ever fix it.

"Sorry, Mr. Tunes," Lorelai sympathized while running her hand over the broken radio, like she was comforting a small animal.

After the passing of another torturous five minutes, Lorelai huffed a frustrated sigh while sliding from the bed. She swiped her cell phone from the nightstand, grabbed her pillow, then made her way to the first floor.

Carefully, Lorelai eased the door open to her daughter's room. Through a wince, she tip-toed into the darkened room until she stumbled upon the bed.

"Ow, damn it," Lorelai cursed after stubbing her foot on the desk.

"Huh?" Rory muttered while turning to the noise.

Lorelai looked up, her eyes wide like she was a deer caught in headlights. "Busted," the Gilmore murmured while staring at her daughter with a look of guilt on her face.

Rory rolled over to look at her mother with squinting eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly. "Can't sleep?"

Lorelai nodded.

"Is this about boys again?" Rory asked worriedly. "Because I know, I have to be careful, and always think."

Lorelai shook her head.

"Just can't sleep?"

Lorelai nodded.

"Okay," Rory said, though her face looked weary as she scotched over to make room for her mother.

Lorelai managed a small smile as she climbed to 'her side' of the bed. Rory spread the blanket over Lorelai's legs as her mom rested her head on the pillow she bought from her room.

Rory got comfortable on her side, facing her mom, then after a quiet moment the young Gilmore asked, "are you okay?" the words hushed.

Lorelai nodded, though she wanted to say otherwise. And if the hour weren't so late, if she wasn't all mixed up, if she wasn't upset and tired, she would have told the truth. But she was just too drained to get into it.

Rory peaked at the clock then said, "It's almost your birthday. Less than 3 hours."

Lorelai nodded in agreement while working a tiny smile.

"Did Luke tell you we have something special planned?"

Lorelai nodded.

Rory frowned. "Something's wrong; I know it. You're not talking and you can't sleep."

"I'm just tired."

"Are you sure?" Rory asked doubtfully.

Lorelai nodded.

"Is it Luke? Is he-"

"It's late, Rory. You should go to sleep," Lorelai interrupted.

"But-"

"Rory, please," Lorelai begged before taking a breath. "I'm tired, you're tired, so come on, sweets, turn over, bed time."

Rory held frowning eyes to her mom for a minute longer before leaning up to press a quick kiss to Lorelai's cheek. She then turned on her side while pulling the blanket to her chest.

"You know you can wake me up later if you feel like talking," Rory mentioned quietly with her back facing her mother.

Lorelai smiled in the dark. "Thank you, honey."

Another minute passed before Rory said, "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, baby. Now go to sleep."

And that was that.

Soon enough, Rory's deep breathing filled the room, letting Lorelai know that her daughter drifted back to sleep. But for the elder Gilmore, rest didn't come until after 2 in the morning. The night was filled with sporadic dozing. Every now and then she'd wake up and grab her cell phone only to find that no missed calls had been received.

Finally, just when the sun was starting to rise in the sky, Lorelai fell back asleep and this time for an extended period of time.

_Morning_

When Rory awoke at 8:56, she turned over to find her mom fast asleep, her cell phone clutched tightly in her hand. The pre-teen wondered out of bed carefully. She poured cereal for herself, took a shower, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair, changed into clean clothes, then came back down at 10:02. When she found that her mother was still asleep, a worrying frown took her face.

Rory turned away from the bedroom and hurried to the phone. She dialed the diner. She needed to know that everything was okay, but when Luke didn't pick up the downstairs phone or his apartment line, the young Gilmore knew that things were far from okay. Something was going on between her mom and Luke, just as she suspected.

After hanging up the phone, Rory darted to the living room for the notepad left by the answering machine. She swiped a pen from the drawer, then ran back to the kitchen. Rory jotted down a few words of explanation, saying that she'd be right back, then she left the note by the coffee machine where Lorelai would be sure to find it if she would wake up before Rory's return.

_XOX_

Rory Gilmore ran the three blocks to Luke's without stopping for a second. Of course, when she arrived at the diner she bent at the knees to catch her breath, but after regaining herself, she turned for the door only to stop dead in her tracks.

Hanging over the glass was a sign that said, **Gone Fishing**, in Luke's big, block writing.

"Fishing?" Rory questioned through a frown. "But… mom's birthday," the young Gilmore murmured sadly.

"Gone fishing?" a voice questioned from behind.

Rory turned around to find Kirk standing behind her.

"But he was here earlier."

"He was?" Rory questioned quickly.

Kirk nodded. "I was here when he opened, just like I always am, and he gave me breakfast. Today I had one pancake shaped like a heart and one like a star."

"So he was open this morning?" Rory asked.

"I guess he left after I did," Kirk wondered thoughtfully before starring at the door for a moment longer, then walking off down the block.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Rory turned around and hurried home with a mindset determined to solve her real life Nancy Drew mystery.

_Crapshack_

It was just after 10:20 when Rory burst through the front door. She zoomed through the foyer and passed the kitchen to find that her mother was still asleep, but Rory couldn't wait any longer for answers.

"Mom," Rory called while nudging the Gilmore. "Mom, wake up."

"Ugh," Lorelai groaned in her sleep while rolling away from the noise.

"Mom, you need to wake up right now," Rory demanded firmly.

"Whats wrong?" Lorelai muttered through closed eyes.

"I went to the diner."

That caught attention as Lorelai's eyes popped open.

"Luke wasn't there," Rory continued with her curious eyes glued to her mom.

"He wasn't there?" Lorelai asked while sitting up.

Rory shook her head. "There was a sign on the door that said 'gone fishing'. "

"He left?" Lorelai asked while smoothing her hair away from her face.

Rory nodded. "Why did he leave?"

"What?"

"Why did he leave?" Rory repeated firmly. "He should be here; it's your birthday. He wouldn't go anywhere today and he wouldn't leave without telling us."

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"Rory," Lorelai warned.

"What happened yesterday?" the young Gilmore pressed. "Luke went to find you and he never came back. Why did he leave?"

"Rory, please, I really don't wanna talk about this right now," Lorelai said while turning to slide from the bed.

"Something happened," Rory went on while following her mom to the kitchen. "Did dad do something? Did they have a fight? Is that why he isn't here?"

Lorelai sighed tiredly while reaching to the cabinet for a mug. "We just hit a speed bump, that's all. It'll be fine."

"A speed bump?" Rory questioned. "So you're fighting? And it's because of dad, right?"

"It's because of everything," Lorelai corrected.

Yes, Christopher was a driving force behind their problems, but Lorelai wasn't about to tell her daughter that. Despite everything, she wanted Rory to see Christopher in the best light possible because he was her father, and Lorelai couldn't change that.

"Everything meaning dad?"

"Rory-"

"It's your birthday and he's not here! You're having a fight and he's not here!" the young Gilmore suddenly shouted angrily.

"We're not having a fight," Lorelai denied.

"Yes you are! I'm not a little kid; stop lying to me!"

"Rory, please-" Lorelai begged tiredly.

"What if you break up? What if he doesn't come back?" the pre-teen panicked. "He said at the town meeting that if you broke up he would leave and never come back."

"Rory, listen to me, we are not breaking up and Luke is not leaving," Lorelai argued firmly.

"You don't know that!"

"Yes I do," Lorelai countered calmly.

"I'm never gonna see him again," Rory murmured sadly as water boiled in her eyes. "He's gonna leave like he promised and I'll never see him again, and it's all your fault! I didn't want you to date him! I wish you never did!" Rory yelled before turning to run from the house.

"Rory, wait!" Lorelai called while hurrying to the open back door.

But her daughter didn't turn around. She kept running.

_XOX_

Not five minutes later, Mrs. Kim called to say Rory was at their house. Lorelai figured as much but sighed a breath of relief just the same And the rest of the day dragged on from there.

Mid-afternoon, Lorelai got a call from the Kim saying that Rory requested to sleep over. Lorelai said yes. She had enough fighting for one day and didn't know what to say to her daughter to make things better anyway. It was better that they keep to their separate corners.

_XOX_

After a long, lonely birthday, one that was spent reassuring Sookie she was okay, it was just after 9:00 when Lorelai was heading up to bed. She figured she wouldn't sleep, but thought trying was worth a shot.

Just when she rounded the foyer to head upstairs, there was a knock at the door.

Through furrowed brows, Lorelai turned for the front door. When she swung it open, she was surprised to find Luke waiting on the other side.

"Hey," she said cautiously.

"Hey. Can, I, uh, come in?"

Lorelai nodded while taking a step back.

Quickly Luke crossed the threshold to head into the foyer. He didn't bother going to the living room; he knew he wouldn't be long.

"Here," he said while holding out a small, square blue box. "Happy birthday."

"You got me a present?" she asked, surprised after everything that happened the day before.

Luke nodded. "Rory helped me pick it out."

Lorelai managed a small smile while taking the box then lifting the cover. Her smile furthered when she found a silver charm bracelet.

"I know you love snow," he said to explain the snowflake and snowman charms that hung on either side of the bracelet. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Lorelai said honestly while starring at her present.

"Good, good," Luke said nervously while pushing his hands into his pockets.

"Thank you."

Luke nodded. "You're welcome."

Lorelai sighed while tucking her present back to the box. She then looked up at Luke.

"About yesterday-"

Luke shook his head for her to stop. "I'm not mad."

"You're not?" she asked surprised.

"I had some time to think and, uh, well I'm sorry for just leaving but I needed to-"

"Think?" Lorelai filled in.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "I got your message."

"You did?"

He nodded.

"Good, because I'm really sorry, Luke, I-"

"I can't do this, Lorelai," he interrupted.

"What?"

The man sighed while lifting his hands to adjust his ballcap.

"He's Rory's dad," Luke said a moment later. "You should be with him, be a family."

"No, Luke, I-"

"Your mother hates my guts and I barely said two words to her."

"It doesn't matter what she thinks."

"She's your mother," Luke argued gruffly.

"I don't care. I don't care what she thinks or says. I can cut her off. I barely see her now. I can cut her off," Lorelai said firmly and quickly.

"It's not that easy."

"Yes it is!"

Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lorelai. I just can't be in this relationship anymore. It's too much," he said honestly.

"But, no you can't, you can't," she said while shaking her head furiously. "Don't do this, Luke. Don't. I love you," she said with tear glossed eyes.

It broke Luke's heart to see her falling apart, but he just couldn't do it. It was too complicated.

"I'm sorry, Lorelai," he said before kissing her forehead, then turning to leave.

"No," Lorelai whispered as she watched him go. "Luke, don't go," she begged.

He almost stopped in the doorway. He wanted to. But he couldn't.

TBC….

**Review? Please, :D. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	35. Pink and Blue

So if you think reading about a broken up Luke and Lorelai is blah, then writing about it is double blah, if not triple blah. So I made this short and to the point, but after this one the chapters will get longer, :D

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Woman and Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 35: Pink and Blue**

_Next Morning_

_Independence Inn_

Suffice to say when Lorelai didn't show up the next morning, Sookie grew worried in no time. The chef looked up at the clock between every slice n dice, and when 8:00 a.m came and went, Sookie noticed. Then 8:05, 8:10, 8:15, 8:20, 8:25, and finally 8:30 arrived. Still no Lorelai; Sookie winced. She looked over her shoulder to find Eddy standing over a pot of sauce. She was right in his line of vision. The head chef would never let her leave, not even for two seconds.

Eddy kept the kitchen running like a tight ship and workers were only allowed to excuse themselves for their lunch breaks. Of course, when Mia was around, it was a different story, but when the owner was gone, Eddy knew he could push all kinds of boundaries, and he did. But despite his strict rules, he kept the place smooth and sound, and so he quickly worked his way to the top. And despite the occasion glare the chefs received whenever they did something wrong, or the everyday one or two cigarettes he smoked in the back, overall, he was a nice guy, which was a big reason why he was hired in the first place.

Sookie looked back at the clock to find that it was just shy of 8:31. She told herself not to panic yet. Her best friend showed up late in the past and this morning could simply be a case of an alarm forgotten to be a set or a car run out of gas. She mentally reassured herself that Lorelai was fine.

_XOX_

Almost an hour went by. The time was 9:27; still no Lorelai. Sookie reached borderline panic.

_XOX_

Another 20 minutes passed with the time reading 9:47.

"Has anyone seen Lorelai?" a voice called to the kitchen.

The salad chef looked up from her latest creation to find the manager standing in the doorway.

"She's not here yet?" Sookie questioned.

Lisa shook her head. "You hear from her today?" she asked, knowing Sookie and Lorelai were friends.

"No, I haven't. I tried calling her a little while ago; she never answered."

Lisa frowned while looking down at her wristwatch. "It's not like her to ditch without calling. And she never misses a meeting."

"Yeah," Sookie agreed anxiously while turning her head back and forth as her eyes searched for her cell phone.

"Can you call her again? Let her know meetings in 20. Hopefully she just overslept or something."

Sookie nodded wordlessly as her frown furthered. Lisa gave the woman a small, appreciative smile and as the manager turned to leave, Sookie officially crossed over to full on panic mode.

_XOX_

_Kim House_

"Rory! You have a phone call!" Mrs. Kim shouting from the landing.

Rory hurried from Lane's room to retrieve the phone. She suspected it was her mother and though she didn't want to speak to Lorelai yet, she knew Mrs. Kim wouldn't accept that and so she took the phone.

"Hello," Rory answered, her tone cool.

"Hey, Rory, it's Sookie."

"Sookie?" Rory questioned. She wasn't expecting that.

"Yeah. Listen sweetie, I'm at your house and your mom isn't doing so good. I think things got worse with Luke and she really needs you right now. Can you come home?"

"I'll be right there," she promised.

_XOX_

Rory ran through the door to find Sookie pacing the living room.

"Where is she?" the young Gilmore demanded while taking her sweater off..

Sookie tilted her chin to the second floor. "I really have to get back to the Inn, but tell your mom I'm coming by later, okay?"

Rory nodded while rounding the stairs. "Thanks, Sookie!" she called.

"You're welcome, kitten. Tell your mom I love her."

"I will!"

Rory took the last few stairs quickly then she turned to Lorelai's room to find her mom lying in bed, crying. The sight made her eyes widen in worry in disbelief. She'd never seen her mom like that, completely broken down and fallen apart. And over a boy? Never.

"Mom?" Rory questioned, her voice small as she cautiously walked further into the room.

Lorelai turned to peak over her shoulder and when she found her daughter standing in the room, quickly she reached to hastily wipe the tears from her face. "What are you doing here?"

"Sookie called me," Rory explained while climbing to the bed. "You broke up, didn't you?" the pre-teen asked gently.

Lorelai nodded while avoiding her daughter's stare.

Rory frowned further. "What happened?"

"He hates me. I blew it. I blew everything."

Rory's brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand. What happened?"

"She got to him."

"Luke?"

"Chris."

"Who got to him? Grandma?" Rory guessed.

Lorelai nodded as another tear trickled over the edge. "She invited him and he said all those things."

"What things? Who said them?"

"Christopher. He made him leave."

"Luke?"

Lorelai nodded before closing her eyes, but the move only made more salty water spill. "He hates me. Everyone hates me."

"No one hates you," Rory countered quietly.

"Taylor's putting up ribbons. I ruined it. They all hate me," Lorelai cried.

Rory frowned further as she thought back to Babette who was wearing a giant pink ribbon when she ran past her neighbor on the run home just minutes ago.

"Mom, maybe you should try to sit up," Rory suggested, her worried tone laced with a touch of fear in having to see her normally strong, determined mother lying in bed looking weak and beaten down.

"It's over," Lorelai murmured sadly.

"You should be up. This isn't you, in bed crying. You need to be up. Please, mom," Rory begged.

"You should go back to Lane's."

"No, I'm staying here," Rory argued stubbornly.

"God, I really screwed up. "

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"I should've seen it coming."

"Seen what?"

"Mom, Christopher… I should've known; I should've stopped it, but I couldn't," Lorelai cried helplessly.

"Mom," Rory sympathized through a frown while reaching for Lorelai's hand.

"He could have been the one."

"It's gonna be okay, I promise," Rory swore as Lorelai squeezed her hand.

"No it's not."

"Close your eyes, mom, try and sleep."

"But-"

"Please."

Lorelai sighed a shaky breath.

Rory leaned over to kiss her mom's cheek before settling on the pillow next to her. "I'll be right here when you wake up, okay?"

Lorelai nodded before closing her eyes.

_XOX_

Lorelai slept for less than a half hour. The twenty-two minutes passed by with her 12 year old daughter lying next to her feeling guilty and sorry for the way she stormed out of the house the day before. The guilt ate at Rory so much that she couldn't wait for Lorelai to open her eyes so she could apologize, but at the same time she wanted her mom to rest.

Rory peaked up at the clock and when she looked back to her mom, she found dull, drained blue eyes starring back at her.

"You slept."

"I guess."

"Feeling better?"

"Sure," Lorelai said unconvincingly.

Rory frowned further.

A moment of silence passed.

"Mom?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry for missing your birthday."

Lorelai spread a tiny smile while meeting her daughter's eyes. "It's okay."

But her mother's words didn't' help Rory feel better. She realized she acted like a child when she yelled and screamed then ran from the house because she wasn't happy. Meanwhile, her mom was going through something big and real. Lorelai may have forgiven Rory, but Rory wasn't ready to forgive herself, and not just for missing her mom's birthday but for being gone when Lorelai really needed her.

"Have you eaten anything?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not hungry."

"You need to eat. And you're probably thirsty, right? There's no empty glasses in here," Rory noticed after sitting up to survey the room.

"Not thirsty."

"Well, you will be soon. I'm going on a food run."

"No, you're not," Lorelai argued while moving to sit up.

"Yes, I am. We ran out of poptarts and there's no peanut butter left. We need some other things too. I'll go to Dooses and get what we need," Rory decided while walking to her mother's sewing table for a notepad to make a list.

"The ribbons are all over town," Lorelai warned.

"I'll just ignore them. Stupid Taylor!"

"People are going to be all over you with questions."

"Then they'll feel the wrath of the Green Destiny."

"Oh, you'll get bombarded," Lorelai murmured sadly.

"I'll bring Lane with me; she'll run interference," Rory reasoned through a shrug while swiping a pen from the drawer then moving across the room. "Don't go rollerblading or bowling or anything while I'm gone, okay?"

"Kay."

Rory smiled a little before kissing Lorelai's forehead. "Be right back."

_Dooses_

After grabbing Lane from the Kim House, Rory and her best friend hurried down the block to the market. They ran past everyone who tried to stop them, the fellow citizens of Stars Hollow no doubt ready to pounce with a million questions.

"Marshmallows, right?" Lane asked while holding a bag up.

"Right. Get the big bag."

"Got it."

After hurrying through the store, Rory told Lane to wait on line while she turned for the last item. On the way she nearly ran into Luke who was grabbing a case of beer from the bottom shelf.

"Rory," Luke said through wide eyes.

"Oh, um, hi," she said uncomfortably.

"Hi," he returned awkwardly.

Crickets.

"How, um- is your- is she-how is-"

"Not good," Rory answered with her gaze to the floor.

Luke frowned further.

"I should go before the ice cream melts," Rory said while holding up a small carton from her basket.

"Right, right," Luke agreed while taking a step back to allow her to pass.

Rory quickly put the ice cream back in the basket that hung from her arm while walking past Luke and rounding the corner to the next aisle. When she was gone, Luke released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. But not two seconds passed before a small, familiar voice called his attention.

Luke turned to find Rory standing at the end of the aisle.

"Are you leaving?" she asked through a frown.

"What?"

"At the town meeting you promised Taylor that if things didn't work out with you and mom, that you would leave. Are you leaving?" she questioned quickly.

"Only said that so Taylor would shut up."

"So you're not leaving?"

"No, I'm not leaving," Luke confirmed gruffly.

"Okay," Rory said while absorbing his answer. "Good."

Luke nodded and with that, Rory turned to leave, but before she could go, Luke called for her to stop.

"4:00 okay?"

"4:00?" Rory asked confusedly.

"Tomorrow, your swim lesson," he reminded her.

Rory looked at him, surprised. "We're still going?" she asked carefully.

Luke nodded.

"Okay, yeah, 4:00," Rory agreed.

"Good," Luke said while flashing a small smile.

"Um, meet you at the diner?" she asked daringly.

Luke nodded. "I'll have the donut ready."

Rory smiled.

_TBC_

**Please Review, :D. **

**Thanks for reading!!!**


	36. Girls Night Out Gone Serious

Thank you, thank you, thank you readers for your continued interest and love for this story! You're all awesome!!!

_Enjoy!_

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 36: Girls Night Out Gone Serious**

_Mid May_

_Independence Inn_

"Hey," Lorelai greeted dully while walking through the kitchen.

"Lorelai!" Sookie squealed while hurrying around the counter. "You're here!"

"Yup," the Gilmore agreed while reaching for the coffee pot.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"You mean besides stuffing my face with red vines while drooling over George Clooney? You know, just the usual spinster, couch potato thing."

"What about Rory?"

"Rory has other plans," Lorelai said tersely.

Sookie frowned. "Again?"

Lorelai nodded. "Next time I ask my boyfriend to teach my daughter how to swim, please, stop me before it's too late."

"Well, he wasn't your boyfriend when you asked him," Sookie pointed out.

Lorelai shrugged while swallowing a mouthful of coffee. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah," Sookie agreed sadly. "Well, what time is she coming home?"

"I don't know. She said she and Lane have to stay after school to work on some project, then she's gonna have dinner at the Kim house, and her lesson after that. For all I know, she won't come strolling through the door 'till tomorrow morning. I swear, I've been so pathetic. My 12 year old suddenly has this huge social life and I'm lucky if I get off the couch to answer the phone. I hardly see her anymore," Lorelai sulked.

"You could ground her, make her stay home," Sookie suggested.

"And how could I possibly do that? The kid's a saint. She was God's right hand man before I gave birth to her. She never does anything wrong. I couldn't ground her if I wanted to."

"Okay, so maybe you can't ground her, but you can come out with me tonight!"

"What?"

"Come on, please!" Sookie begged. "It's been forever since we've had a girl's night, and you really need it. I mean look at you. You're young, you're hot, you're single," Sookie hedged through a growing grin. "Let's go out and paint the town red! Let's go crazy! Let's party like there's no tomorrow! Let's-"

"Not and say we did?" Lorelai tried.

Sookie fixed her friend with a stern stare. "You really wanna let another night pass by with your daughter out there having a life while you're glued to the couch with nothing but junk food and the T.V to keep you company?"

Lorelai thought for a moment, and then sighed.

"I'll pick you up at 7!" Sookie exclaimed while turning away with a victorious smile.

"Fine, but I don't put out unless I get dinner!"

"I know! I read your bumper sticker!"

_Later_

_Kim House_

Lorelai knew exactly what time the Kim's ate dinner. She knew this because her daughter spent numerous evenings with the Kim family She knew when the plates were served and how long they sat together at the table. And so knowing all this, the Gilmore knew stopping at the Kim house on the way home from work at 5:27 to talk to her daughter would be okay. When they sat down to eat, Mrs. Kim didn't answer the phone, the door, or even get up to go to the bathroom. In fact, she locked the bathroom door while any meal was being consumed. That's why Lorelai hurried from work to make it to the Kim house in time. Could she have called? Yes. But since she had to stop by Dooses anyway, she'd figured she'd make a personal appearance.

"Mrs. Kim?" Lorelai called while walking through the antique store.

"Everything is 30 percent off!" the business owner yelled while hurrying from the kitchen.

"A sale; why I'm shocked," Lorelai murmured underneath her breath.

"Oh, it's you," Mrs. Kim realized sadly when she found Rory's mom wondering the store. After seeing that it was just Lorelai, the woman turned around and headed back to the kitchen.

"Lorelai Gilmore- disappointing mothers since 1968."

"Are you looking for Rory!?" Mrs. Kim shouted from the stove.

"Oh, um, yeah!" Lorelai answered while navigating her way through various pieces of furniture.

"Then why are you here? They already left for Luke's_."_

" Luke's?" The Gilmore questioned. "They're eating dinner at Luke's?"

Mrs. Kim nodded. "Didn't Rory tell you?" she questioned, the surprise clear in her voice.

"No, no, she did," Lorelai corrected, not wanting Mrs. Kim to know that her daughter lied to her. "I just- I guess I forgot… I have to go," she said awkwardly while turning to head for the door.

_XOX_

Lorelai crept up to the big diner window slowly and carefully. A stranger who happened to be watching would think she was crazy. A neighbor who caught a glimpse would _know_ she was crazy.

Either way, not one person said a peep as Lorelai huddled close to the building and peered in through the glass. Her eyes searched the diner until she found a brown haired girl and a dark haired girl sitting side by side at the counter. Just as she looked up, she saw Luke stop by the duo to drop two burger filled plates in front of the girls. Lorelai's jaw dropped at the scene as her eyes widened.

"My daughter's cheating on me with my ex," Lorelai murmured in disbelief. "There's a sentence I never thought I'd say."

"Are you pretending to be a spy?"

Lorelai spun around at the voice as her hand flew to her lightening fast beating heart. "God, Kirk, don't do that."

"Sorry," the man apologized through a shrug. "So are you?"

"Am I what?" Lorelai asked while turning back to the window.

"Are you pretending to be a spy?"

"If I say yes will you go away?"

"Why are you spying on Luke?" Kirk asked curiously.

"I'm not spying on Luke."

"It looks like you're spying on Luke."

Lorelai sighed in frustration while turning back to her neighbor. "I was just observing the diner, okay? I was checking to see how full it was. I didn't wanna go in there for dinner if there were no empty tables available."

"There's one right there," Kirk said helpfully while pointing to the glass. "I was gonna go in too. I'd be more than happy to share a table with you."

Lorelai panicked for a split second before saying, "You know, Kirk, I would love to share a table with you, but I actually have to get to the market before they close. Bye!" she called while turning to bolt down the sidewalk.

_Later_

_Gilmore House_

It was 6:49 when Lorelai came downstairs all dressed and ready to go. She stopped at the small table in the living room to check her reflection one last time and apply a final touch of lip-gloss. As she was coating her lips, her daughter came through the front door.

"You're early," Lorelai accused. "What do I have to do to get you to be fashionably late just once in your life?"

"We finished the lesson early. Luke had to get back," Rory explained while stopping in the foyer to put her backpack down and take her hoodie off.

"You get my note?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Kim gave it to me."

"Good, good. So you're okay with tonight? Babette will be here soon."

"Yeah, I'm just gonna do homework, maybe watch a movie" Rory said while walking into the living room with a notebook held at her hip.

Lorelai turned to smile at her daughter as she dropped her keys into her purse. "So where were you two?"

"What?" Rory asked while sitting down on the couch.

"You and Lane. When I went to Mrs. Kim's you weren't there. Hence the note."

"Oh, we had to stay after school to work on our project."

"You had to stay until 5:30?" The school closes at 5," Lorelai countered.

"Oh, well, um-"

"Before you say anything else, remember that you suck at lying."

Rory sighed in defeat. "We were at the diner."

"I know."

"You know?" Rory asked in surprise.

Lorelai sighed while stepping over her daughter's foot to plop down next to her on the couch. She gave Rory a smile while patting the girl's knee.

"Are you mad?"

Lorelai shook her head. "I don't like being lied to, but I can understand why you did it."

"You can?"

"You're trying to protect me."

"Yeah," Rory admitted softly.

"Sweetie, you're the kid in this mother-daughter thing we have going; I'm supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around."

"But, Luke he-"

"Did nothing to damage his relationship with you. He earned the right to see you and spend time with you, and even though he and I aren't together any more, that doesn't have to change."

"So you're okay if I go to the diner sometimes?" Rory asked carefully.

"I'm okay with it," Lorelai confirmed. "I'm not one hundred percent, completely all for it yet, but I'm okay with it."

"Are you sure? Because if you're not, I'll stop going."

"No, no, I don't want you to stop seeing Luke because of me. You've been affected enough by all this. The fact that you feel you have to sneak around and lie to me about where you are proves that."

"I'm really sorry I lied," Rory apologized. "I just thought it might upset you and I don't want you upset again."

Lorelai smiled at her daughter's concern. "I'll admit, I didn't love it when I saw you sitting at that counter with Lane instead of me, but the circumstances have changed and I can deal with it. In fact, I'm glad you're still seeing him. You need a good male role model in your life and despite everything that's happened with Luke and I, he's a good guy. You've always gotten along with him. And he gets extra points for keeping up with the swim lessons when he doesn't have to," Lorelai explained while brushing her daughter's hair behind her ear. "Thank you for worrying about me, but babe, I promise, I'm fine."

"But I want you to be more than fine," Rory argued through a frown.

"I'm getting there."_ Knock! Knock! _"And there's Sookie to make sure I get there tonight."

"Have fun," Rory wished.

Lorelai turned to give the pre-teen a smile before she rounded the corner to the foyer. When she opened the door, she found her neighbor/daughter's babysitter standing on the other side.

"Hey, Babette."

"Hey, doll face," the older woman greeted through a giant grin. "You goin' out tonight?"

"Yeah. Sookie has this crazy idea that I do nothing but sit on the couch and watch T.V all night. God only knows where she came up with that."

Babette smiled further as Lorelai stepped back to allow her in.

"Oh, speak of the devil," Lorelai said when she spotted Sookie pulling up in her drive.

"Okay, you guys good here?"

"We're good; go!" Babette encouraged enthusiastically.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Lorelai said while hurrying out the door.

_XOX_

After grabbing some dinner at Al's pancake world, then stopping by the ice cream shop to get a few Sundays, Lorelai and Sookie were heading to their next destination.

"You do realize there's a world outside of Stars Hollow, don't you?"

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to stay in town."

"I was?" Lorelai questioned.

"You said if there's an emergency with Rory, it's easier for you to run home if we're local," Sookie reminded her friend as she drove them down the street.

"Oh, right, yeah," Lorelai realized.

Sookie blinked away from the road to peak at Lorelai. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just getting a little tired."

"Tired?" Sookie questioned. "It's 8:48, grandma; you can't be tired!"

Lorelai gave Sookie a snoozy half smile. "I just need some coffee and I'll be good to go for round 3, I promise."

"Great, so we'll just stop by Lu- I mean Weston's. We'll stop by Weston's for coffee," Sookie corrected herself.

"If only they were still open," Lorelai said through a sigh. "Fran closes at eight on Friday's."

"Oh, right," Sookie realized as a frown took her face. "Oh, we could stop by JoJo's.. They have coffee."

"Yeah, really crappy, decaffeinated coffee. "

"Oh, yeah, can't get the coffee buzz without the caffeine."

Lorelai nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I could swing back to Al's. There's a 50/50 chance he has coffee."

"I'm betting his 3- pots- only- a- day are gone by now."

"Yeah, probably."

A moment of silence passed before Lorelai said, "How 'bout the diner?"

"What?" Sookie asked in surprise as her shock filled eyes whipped to Lorelai.

"He's still open for another 10 minutes. The diner's right down the block. You could catch him before he dumps the coffee for the night."

"Are you sure you want Luke's coffee?" Sookie asked through a wince.

"No, but I need something or I'll be lights out in 5 minutes. For weeks I've been tucked in bed by nine. I need a jolt to stay awake. Can you run in and get me a cup to go?"

"Of course," Sookie agreed.

"Thanks," Lorelai returned while flashing her friend a smile. She then looked back to the window as Sookie got the green light, and then pulled to a slow stop across from the diner.

"I'll just be a minute," the chef promised while grabbing her keys from the ignition.

"Okay."

With her keys jingling in her hand, Sookie hurried across the street. When she reached the sidewalk, she didn't stop for a second as she hoped up the two cement stairs, then burst through the diner door.

"No! Don't dump the coffee!" Sookie shouted when she saw Luke carrying the pot to the kitchen.

The man jumped back in surprise while muttering a "jeez" before he turned to find Sookie running towards him.

"I need a giant coffee to-go!" The chef shouted like she was yelling for a prize on a game show.

Luke looked at her through furrowed brows. "You don't drink coffee."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"Sookie," Luke warned.

The chef sighed. "It's for Lorelai, okay? She needs coffee and you're the only place in town with the coffee she likes that's still open. There, ya happy?"

"No," Luke grumbled.

"She really needs coffee right now, Luke."

The man nodded in understanding while turning back to the counter. He put the pot down, grabbed a to-go cup from the shelf, then poured the left over brew to the brim.

"Thank you," Sookie accepted with a neutral expression on her face as she took the full cup. "Here."

Luke shook his head at the money. "It's leftover anyway. No charge."

"Okay. Thanks."

Luke nodded and with that, Sookie turned for the door, but before she could reach the handle, Luke's voice stopped her.

"Is she okay? I mean how is she? Is she doing okay?" Luke asked nervously.

Sookie turned around to shake her head at Luke.

The man frowned at her answer.

"She's trying to be okay, but I think it's more for everyone else's sake, especially Rory. "

Luke didn't know what to say.

"She blames herself," Sookie said after a moment of silence. "She thinks it was all her fault. I don't know if you want to hear this or not; you probably don't, but she couldn't get out of bed for days, Luke. She's so beat up about it. And I don't know exactly what happened, but she's my best friend. I'm on her side no matter what. The rumor is it was just too complicated for you. So I know you didn't mean to hurt you. Seems like maybe you're hurting too, but Lorelai, she just… she isn't the same. She won't talk about it, and she won't admit it, but she misses you like crazy. And I've heard things aren't so great around here either. Patty said you've been screwing up orders and kicking people out left and right. Have you?"

"You should get that to Lorelai," Luke said gruffly while jerking his chin at the coffee cup in her hand.

Sookie took the hint. "I'm going, but just- she won't want me to tell you this but I know she still loves you, Luke. I think she will for a while. I Just thought you should know that," Sookie said before slipping from the diner.

Luke sighed.

_KC's Bar_

"Well, I guess this is as hoppin' as the Stars Hollow nightlife gets," Lorelai said as they walked through the entrance.

Sookie nodded while looking around at the nearly empty room. "We should come back on Karaoke night. I always see a line out the door on Karaoke night.

"Yeah, then we could rock n roll all night and party every day."

Sookie nodded enthusiastically.

Lorelai rolled her eyes through a smile while putting her hand to Sookie's back and leading her friend to the bar.

"What can I get you ladies?" the bartender asked while turning to his new customers. "Oh man, it really is a small world."

While sitting down on a stool, Lorelai looked up at the voice. "Derek?" she questioned.

"In the flesh."

"I didn't know you work here," Lorelai said while turning to rest her arms on the counter.

"Gotta pay the billls," Derek reasoned through a shrug while showing Lorelai a grin. "And since I make a kick ass Margarita, working at a bar was a no brainer."

"Well, someone's mighty proud of their margarita makin' skills."

Derek arched his brows at her. "Are you questioning my abilities?"

"Maybe I am, " Lorelai said nonchalantly. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Well, first, I'm gonna ask who your friend is."

"Oh, right yeah, sorry," Lorelai realized through a shake of her head. "Derek, this is Sookie. She and I work together at the Independence. And Sookie, this is Derek. He's the guy I bought the jeep from."

"Oh, yeah, we thought you were Derek Jeter!"

Derek laughed. "Not even close. I can't hit a baseball to save my life."

"Aw, were you the kid in the corner who always got picked last for dodge ball?" Lorelai teased.

"And let me guess. You were the girl who dated the captain of the football team."

"Captain of the lacrosse team," Lorelai corrected firmly.

"Chris was captain of the lacrosse team?" Sookie questioned.

"Fine, assistant captain, but close enough."

"Impressive," Derek said while pulling out the margarita mix, "but did he win a series of very big trophies on the chess team?"

"Oh my God, you were on the chess team?" Lorelai questioned through her giggles.

"Yes, I was and not even jokes from pretty girls like you will make me regret my decision to join the chess team. Those were some good times."

"Aw, you think I'm pretty," Lorelai said coyly.

Derek looked up to meet her eyes. "Yeah," he said, his voice soft, "I do."

Lorelai's eyes widened a bit at the seriousness in his tone.

Sookie looked back and forth between the two, waiting for someone to say something.

After a moment, Derek looked away awkwardly and said, "I need to go in back and get clean glasses," he said before turning to escape.

Lorelai's stare darted to Sookie. "What the hell was that?"

"He likes you!" Sookie whispered harshly

"No, no! We were just messing around!" Lorelai cried helplessly. "We were playing a nice, friendly game of verbal tennis, then outta nowhere he spikes the ball! That's not fair! He can't do that! He broke the rules!"

"He likes you!" Sookie exclaimed through a loud whisper.

"Ugh," Lorelai groaned as her forehead fell to the counter.

_XOX_

Not 10 minutes later, after Lorelai and Sookie consumed uncomfortable drinks, they excused themselves from the bar, Lorelai using Rory as a reason for them to leave.

Derek knew why they really left. He knew he said something he shouldn't have. That's why when the girls left, he ran to the phone.

Meanwhile, at the Crapshack, Babette had dozed to sleep on the couch. She and Rory were towards the end of a Gene Wilder marathon. They had gotten through Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory and were in the middle of Young Frankenstein when Rory peaked to her left to see Babette asleep on the recliner.

A moment after Rory turned her attention back to the T.V, the phone rang. But Rory was more than willing to follow the usual movie night rules as she didn't budge an inch. The phone rang twice, then the answering machine kicked off, where Lorelai's voice played. When the beep sounded, Rory clicked the volume button on the remote to lower the sound so she could hear the message.

"Hey, uh, Lorelai, it's Derek… I'm sorry if what I said at the bar made you, you know, uncomfortable or anything, but you should know I didn't just get caught in the moment there; I meant what I said. Hell, maybe I'm making the situation worse here, but since the cat's pretty much outta the bag, you should know that I like you. I'd be honored to take you out sometime, maybe to dinner or a movie, or both… just, call me. Even if it's to say no and if it is, I swear, I'll back off. I just… you know, I thought I'd put it out there… okay, well I hope to hear from you. Bye, Lorelai."

With her brows furrowed sadly and confusion written across her face, Rory turned to stare at the answering machine.

_TBC_

**Please Review, :D Thank you all for reading!!!!**


	37. The Truth Is Out There Somewhere

Before I get into the 'thank yous,' I'd like to tell those who are interested in keeping up with my writing status that you can follow me on twitter. The link is on my profile page or you can just search the name kaciiiiii. I post daily, sometimes numerous times a day. :D

And now to the important stuff. I thank you all very much for reading this story and cheering it on. Especially those of you who review, it means a lot to me that you take the time to leave me your thoughts. I love feedback.

Oh, and **Bambi Mcbarbie, **well played using sickness for the speedy sympathy update, lol. Hope you're feeling better, :D.

**Happy Mama's Day to all the Moms out there!!! **

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 37: The Truth Is Out There… Somewhere**

Lorelai held her heels in her hands as the tipsy Gilmore wondered up the porch stairs. She mentally reminded herself to be quiet as she struggled to find her keys from her full purse. When she finally reached the door, her clumsy fingers slipped the key through the hole, and then she closed her eyes tight as she carefully and slowly opened the door.

"Stupid squeakiness," Lorelai cursed, her tone hushed as she stopped in the foyer to lower her shoes to the floor. Then with her jacket in hand, she aimed for the hook, but ending up missing and the light fabric fell to the floor.

"Oopsy," Lorelai giggled.

With a smile on her face, Lorelai turned for the living room. But when she found her daughter sitting on the recliner with a weird look on her face, the smile turned to a frown.

"Rory?" Lorelai questioned confusedly.

The pre-teen snapped her dazed stare from the fireplace and to her mother's voice.

"You're home," Rory said with a hint of panic in her face.

"Yes I am, " Lorelai confirmed happily, "and you should be in beddy bye land."

"I'm not tired."

Lorelai accepted the answer as she circled the couch to find Babette fast asleep.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in a hushed whisper while pressing her hand to her heart. "She scared me," Lorelai explained while looking up at her daughter with wide eyes.

"Did you have fun?" Rory asked while avoiding Lorelai's gaze.

The elder Gilmore nodded while heading for the kitchen. "The morning headache will make me regret the fun but this tiny buzz I got goin' on," Lorelai explained while holding two fingers up to show the short distance, "is really workin' for me."

Rory sighed while following Lorelai into the kitchen. She knew she had to come clean, and she was dying to get the truth from her guilty mind, but she thought waiting till morning might be better. Her mom wasn't anywhere near stumbling over drunk, but even being a little tipsy, she knew the words could be forgotten by morning, than she'd have to go through the whole thing all over again.

"You want mac n cheese?" Lorelai asked while reaching into cabinet. "I need mac n cheese."

"No thanks," Rory said quietly while turning for her room. "I'm gonna go to bed."

"Kiss first," Lorelai requested while tapping her cheek.

Rory left her doorway to leave a kiss on her mom's cheek. Lorelai smiled while wrapping her arms around her daughter.

"Thanks for letting me go out tonight, mom," Lorelai teased.

Rory peaked up to give her mom an unsure smile. "You're welcome."

"I'll see you in the morning, babe. And I'lll love you forever if you have the coffee and aspirin waiting."

"Okay, but if you're gonna throw up, don't do it in the good bathroom," Rory said through a crinkle of her nose.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "No throwing up, I swear. Just one too many martini's down the pipe, but I'm A-okay," she promised.

Rory nodded. "Night, mom," she murmured while turning for her room.

_Next Morning_

"Ugh," Lorelai groaned while dragging her body to the kitchen.

At the sound of her mother's voice, Rory grabbed the aspirin bottle she had ready, took the full coffee mug in her other hand, then popped up in the kitchen doorway.

"Here you go," she offered.

"Bless you," Lorelai said gratefully while grabbing the bottle, then downing two pills. After dry swallowing the medicine, she took the coffee and chugged down the contents in 5 seconds flat.

"Oh man, the morning after, it really makes you regret the night before," Lorelai complained while falling to a chair and lying her head on the table.

"Feel sick?" Rory asked worriedly.

Lorelai spread a smile for her daughter. "Just a headache. That's the last time I leave Sookie in charge of the drink count."

Rory smiled nervously while turning for the fridge. "You want a pop-tart or lucky charms?" she asked while grabbing the milk.

"Pop-tart, please."

"More coffee?"

"A vat."

Rory put the milk carton down on the counter then grabbed the coffee.

"You can drink from the pot today," the young Gilmore allowed while putting the almost full coffee pot down next to her mother's face.

"Finally, you're all mine," Lorelai said while wrapping her arms around the pot then holding it pressed against her cheek.

"Maybe you should have some pancakes. Isn't that good to have when you're hung-over?" Rory asked curiously.

"Mommy isn't hung-over; mommy just has a really bad headache."

"You have a really bad ache because you drank too much. Isn't that being hung-over?"

"I tried to stop, but Sookie wouldn't let me," Lorelai argued through innocent eyes. "She's a bad influence. Maybe I shouldn't hang out with her anymore. She knows I have a young, impressionable daughter at home and what does she do? She gets me drunk. That should be a crime. She should spend a few nights in the slammer. Maybe that'll teach her. "

Rory was about to smile when a thought popped into her mind and her expression turned to a strict frown. "You guys drove home."

Lorelai waited a beat then said. "Yes we did… and what a lovely drive it was?"

"Mom, no drunk driving," Rory whined.

Lorelai smiled. "Honey, I swear, we weren't that bad. Was I tipsy enough to kiss Kirk if he came unto me? Maybe. But Sookie was fine. I had more alcohol in me than she did. How did that happen, you ask? I don't know, but I think it was all part of her evil plan. She was determined to get me drunk. The woman's insane."

"Oh, well I'll make you pancakes anyway. I think I've got the hang of it," Rory said with a nod while heading towards the lower cabinet.

"God speed," Lorelai wished while lying back on her folded arms that rested on the table. "So how was your night? Anything exciting happen?"

Rory froze from the floor with a frying pan in her hand. "Oh, um-"

_Ring! Ring!"_

"Ugh, I got it," Lorelai groaned while pulling herself up from the chair.

Rory sighed a breath.

_Later_

_Square_

"You deleted it?" Lane questioned through wide eyes.

"I know, it was stupid," Rory said through a sigh as they headed for the diner.

"So Lorelai doesn't know about it?"

Rory shook her head. "I just couldn't tell her. She already knows I lied to her about going to Luke's and now this… and with everything going on, she's been so sad lately. I don't wanna make her mad," the Gilmore explained helplessly.

Lane nodded in understanding.

"And who is he, anyway? No guy's ever called our house. Mom's hardly dated anyone and now some guy is leaving her a message about wanting to go out… I know I shouldn't have deleted it, but it just happened. I don't want her going out with him. I don't want her going out with anyone… she should be with Luke," Rory murmured quietly.

"They were really good together," Lane agreed.

"Yeah. And now they're not even friends anymore. She doesn't go to the diner; he doesn't come over. "

"Well, at least you still get to see him."

"Yeah, but it isn't the same."

"Well, do you think your mom still likes him?"

Rory nodded.

"And we all know Luke still likes her. He's been 10 times grumpier than usual ever since they broke up."

"If I could just lock 'em in a room or something, maybe they'll fight it out and get back together," Rory said through a wistful sigh. "If only I were Hailey Mills."

"Oh my God, that's it!" Lane shouted through wide eyes.

"What?"

"We trick 'em into getting back together!"

Rory rolled her eyes. "How?"

"Well, you have that show tonight, right? For gymnastics?"

"Yeah?"

"And it's your first one?"

"Yeah, which means I'll really suck. I never should've signed up for this. I have no hand eye coordination what so ever."

"And your mom's coming, right?"

Rory nodded.

"So invite Luke. He wouldn't say no, right? Just tell him it's your first show and you really want him there. Or oh, you could lie and say your mom can't come and you're really upset that she won't be there to see you, and you know, look all sad and everything, then he'll have no choice but to say yes," Lane explained excitedly.

"I think I've been doing enough lying lately; I don't think I should lie to Luke about this. Plus when he gets there he'll see mom and know that I lied to him."

"Fine, then just ask him to come. It's worth a shot. And oh, if he does, we could talk to Patty and make sure it's set up that your mom and Luke sit next to each other. Then maybe they'll talk a little and who knows, right? Maybe they could at least be friends again."

"Maybe," Rory murmured thoughtfully.

_The Inn_

"Sookie, help," Lorelai begged pathetically while walking through the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" the chef asked from the salad station.

"I completely forgot about Derek, that is until two second ago when someone said his name."

"He's here?" Sookie panicked.

"No, a different Derek, but a Derek none the less and hearing someone say Derek triggered the oh so wonderful memory of the bar incident last night."

"Oh, right," Sookie realized through a frown while slicing some tomatoes.

"I mean I know I hardly see him," Lorelai started while grabbing the coffee mug, "but every once and while I run into him and things will be awkward now after that whole pretty thing. I mean what would make him say that? Why does he think I'm pretty?"

"Um, because you are."

"No, no more hitting on me; I can't take it," Lorelai complained while falling down on a stool.

"You're not my type," Sookie waved off.

"I know he doesn't know me very well, but he's lived in this town for a few months now; he had to hear about the break up. Everyone did. People are still wearing those stupid ribbons. It was front-page news on the Gazette for a week. He has to know I was in a relationship with someone. I mean I know we didn't even make it to 3 months, but 2 and a half months has to count for something, doesn't it?"

Sookie nodded.

"It wasn't just fooling around or a one night stand. We were in a relationship. He has to know I'm still in a funk. It's only been a few weeks. Why would he say that to someone whose just been dumped?"

"Well, maybe you're remembering it wrong. You guys were joking around and everything; maybe he was just joking."

"No, I don't think so… although parts of last night are a little hazy."

"Exactly! So maybe he didn't say it the way you think he said it."

"Maybe," Lorelai agreed doubtfully.

"I think he was just messing around but then when he saw how serious you took it, he got nervous and bolted. This could all just be a misunderstanding."

"I don't know, Sook."

"Why don't you go back there on your lunch break and see if he's there. You could tell him you left your keys there or something and talk to him a little. Try and feel him out. Maybe the whole thing was just an innocent situation turned awkward because of a misunderstanding."

Lorelai looked up at the time to find that she has 20 minutes before her lunch break.

"Okay, I guess it's worth a shot."

_The Diner_

After Rory and Lane exchanged their goodbyes outside, Rory took a deep breath, and then walked through the door. The place was busy with a lunch rush gaining steam and at the full room, Rory got nervous. She started to think maybe asking Luke was a bad idea. Maybe the heavy crowd was a sign that she shouldn't do it.

"Where's my food?! I've been waiting 20 minutes!" a voice shouted.

Rory frowned when she spotted Luke come from the kitchen. He stopped at a table by the window, and then dropped the full plate down, almost sending its contents to the floor.

"If you don't like it, leave," Luke grumped before moving on.

"_Bad, bad idea,"_ Rory thought while turning to slip from the room, but Luke caught her before she could escape.

"Hey. I didn't know you were here," he said with a slightly brighter tone then just a second ago.

"Um, yeah, but it's really crowded so I'll just go some-"

"There's a table right there," Luke interrupted while pointing to one near the shelves.

Carefully, Rory said, "Um, Kirk's sitting there."

Luke shook his head while wordlessly turning for the table.

"You've been sitting here for an hour. Get up," he barked.

"What?" Kirk asked, his voice small.

"Take that to-go," he said while pointing to the one burnt french fry that sat on his plate. "Get up."

"Okay," Kirk accepted while getting to his feet. He swiped the fry from his dish, popped into mouth, and then went on his way.

"Hey, you forgot to pay!" Luke shouted.

"Oh, sorry," Kirk realized while turning around.

Rory watched with a frown as her neighbor spared a 10 from his wallet, then handed it to Luke.

"Bye, Luke," Kirk said happily.

"Yeah, bye, freak," Luke murmured.

"You didn't have to do that," Rory said shyly while watching Kirk go with a frown.

"He was taking too long," Luke reasoned. "Sit. I'll get your usual."

"Okay," Rory agreed while taking a seat. "Thank you."

_KC's Bar_

Lorelai took a calming breath as she hiked her purse to her shoulder. She tucked her hair behind her ears, looked up determinedly, and then walked through the door.

With it being the middle of a Saturday, the place was empty, all accept for one guy who sat at the far end of the bar. Lorelai bit her lip as she looked around for Derek. Without knowing his work schedule, she didn't know if he'd be in.

"You here for Derek? Please, tell me no; you're way out of his league."

Lorelai whipped around at the voice to find a tall, tan, bleach blond haired guy who looked like he came straight from a surfboard, standing behind her.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The guy shook his head. "No, but if you're who I think you are, you know my brother."

"Your brother?" Lorelai questioned as she looked at the guy expectantly, waiting for more info but when he just continued to smile, it all clicked. "Oh, Derek. That's your brother?"

"Yup," he confirmed.

"Yeah, I see the resemblance," Lorelai said through a smile. Both men were of similar height and skin tone and though Derek had dark hair, both had nearly identical green eyes. Even their smiles were almost the same.

"So you work here too?"

"I worked here first," he corrected. "But you know how it goes with twins; the younger one always copy's the older one. Well, either that or they're complete polar opposite. Unfortunately, I didn't get that lucky," he explained through a twin. "I've had Derek, my shadow, following me since we were born.

"You're twins?"

"Yup. It's nice to meet you," he said while holding his hand out. "I'm James."

Lorelai smiled while shaking his hand.

"So are you looking for Derek?"

"Oh, um, yeah. Is here?"

"Nope. I work days; he works nights. "

"Oh," Lorelai realized as a frown took her face. "Do you know if he works tonight?"

James was about to say no when he realized it was probably best if his brother showed up tonight. "Yeah, he'll be here."

"Great; can you tell him to keep an eye out for me? I really need to talk to him."

"Will do."

"Okay, thank you," Lorelai said with a smile before turning to leave.

_Diner_

"Are you sure you can come?"

"Yeah, if it's that important to you, I'll be there," Luke promised.

"Okay," Rory said while trying not to show the hesitation on her face. "So, um, it starts at 6:00 but if you want a good seat you should probably get there a little early."

"No problem. I'll have Cesar close up."

"Okay. Thanks, Luke," the girl said sincerely.

"Yeah, you're welcome. Just shout if you need anything," he said before getting up.

Rory nodded and once he was gone from sight, a worried frown covered her face.

_102 Peach Street_

James walked through the door while swinging his key ring around his finger. He then headed for the kitchen, swiped a half eaten sandwich from the fridge, then turned down the hall to his brother's room.

"Hey, wake up," James shouted while throwing his keys to the lump underneath the blanket.

"What the hell are you doing?" Derek groaned while grabbing his pillow and tossing it over his head.

"That Lorelai chick came to the bar looking for you."

That caught Derek's attention as he pulled the pillow from his head in an instant.

James grinned. "She wants to talk to you. She seemed eager. I told her you'd be working tonight so if you want a shot with her you better get your ass to the bar later," he warned before turning from the room.

Derek's eyes widened as he jumped from the bed and ran to the shower.

_Later_

_The Inn_

"So no-go?" Sookie questioned.

Lorelai shook her head. "He wasn't there, but he'll be in tonight. Do you think you can keep an eye on Rory for a bit after her gymnastics thing so I can run over there?"

Sookie nodded. "What are you gonna say?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll just talk to him, try and see what his deal is. Hopefully he was just joking around because I am in no place to be dating anyone right now."

Sookie nodded in understanding.

"Alright, I should go," Lorelai said with a sigh while hopping from her stool. "I'll see ya later, Sook."

"Bye."

_Patty's_

Lorelai hurried up the stairs to the dance studio. It was 5:59, according to her cell phone. She had a minute before the show started.

"And I made it," Lorelai whispered after walking through the door to find that the time just turned to 6:00. She smiled to herself for being on schedule, and then looked up to find a seat. But when she did a frown took her face. There was only one seat left. One seat in the second row next to a guy wearing an all too familiar green cap and blue flannel shirt.

_TBC_

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	38. So Close, Yet So Far

Thanks, guys, for the continued encouragement to keep writing this baby! You're all awesome!

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Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls:**

**Chapter 38: So Close, Yet So Far**

_Patty's_

Lorelai hurried up the stairs to the dance studio. It was 5:59, according to her cell phone. She had a minute before the show started.

"And I made it," Lorelai whispered after walking through the door to find that the time just turned to 6:00. She smiled to herself for being on schedule, and then looked up to find a seat. But when she did a frown took her face. There was only one seat left. One seat in the second row next to a guy wearing an all too familiar green cap and blue flannel shirt.

Lorelai bit down on her lower lip as she looked around the room, her mind searching for a way out.

"If everyone will please take their seats, we can start the show," Kirk said from the podium while eyeing Lorelai.

Lorelai spared her neighbor a glare through narrowed eyes before giving in through a sigh.

Kirk stood behind the microphone with his stare zeroed in on Lorelai. The room was quiet with all eyes on the Gilmore as her heals hurried across the floor and to the second aisle. Everyone watched, everyone but Luke as she shimmied between people and chairs to get her seat. When she plopped down, she blew out a breath, pulled her purse to her lap, and then finally noticed that everyone's attention was glued to her. But she didn't dare look to her left where a scruffy diner man sat with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Okay, look, I'm sitting, so come on, let's get this show on the road," Lorelai said encouragingly.

Kirk gave a slight nod then shifted his focus to the rest of the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages-"

"This isn't the circus, Kirk, just get to it," Lorelai called impatiently.

"Yeah, let's go! I got a broken car in the shop that needs new tires, wiper blades, a gas gage, a new air conditioner, and the brakes need fixing. You're keeping me from making a fortune," Gypsy accused with her index finger pointed at Kirk.

"Leave the poor doll alone!" Babette called through a raspy voice. "Although I do have a hungry cat at home whose waiting for a fresh bag of meow mix, so if you could hurry up, Cinnamon would really appreciate it, Sugah," Babette said through a smile.

"I have a diner to run," Luke said, his voice gruff and laced with warning.

The announcer coughed nervously before giving the room a hesitant smile, then turning to nod at the piano player. Once the music keyed up, Kirk's job was done, and he jumped from the stage to sit in back.

Patty's assistant filled the room with music, but Lorelai wasn't paying attention to the beat. She didn't even give the show much focus as one by one, the young girls filed onto the stage. She was too busy trying to get a peak at Luke without having to turn to look at him. But even with her blue orbs to the farthest corner of her eye, she couldn't see much as Luke was leaning to his side.

After a moment, Lorelai gave up through a quiet sigh. She rolled her eyes to the stage and managed to catch Rory's gaze. The prê-teen spread a small smile for her mom and Lorelai automatically smiled back. She raised her hand in a little wave and Rory did the same before looking to Luke and frowning. Lorelai noticed the change in her face, and her own lips fell as well. When Rory looked back to her, she seemed nervous, and worried. And then it all made sense.

"Oh, she's good," Lorelai murmured while she narrowed her eyes at Rory who was waiting in line for her turn at the balance beam.

"Uh oh," Rory muttered after realizing she'd been figured out.

Lorelai shook her head, her face clearly showing the disproval and discomfort over the trap she had fallen into as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry," Rory mouthed.

"Later," Lorelai mouthed.

With his attention on the girl who asked him to come, Luke noticed when Rory silently spoke the words. Without helping it, he looked to Lorelai to catch her response and their eyes met just as she finished saying her peace.

Two blue orbs locked, one set brighter than the other and time ticked by slower than a turtle crossing the street.

"Hi," Lorelai said after a moment of silence where neither adult could pull their gaze away.

"Hi," Luke returned.

The music kicked up a few notches louder and just like that, the spell broke. Luke sat up straight in an instant and his face turned neutral as he shifted his focus back to the stage. Meanwhile, Lorelai sank further in her seat as her forehead fell to her palm.

"First up, we have Melissa Davis!" Kirk announced from the back.

The 12-year old gave the room a bright smile before she stepped up on the balance beam and walked across the thin ledge with style and grace. When she reached the end, she stood poised and ready to go before flipping off the edge and landing perfectly on the blue mat beneath her feet. The room clapped furiously at her performance and the young gymnast accepted her congratulations before skipping to the back of the line for the next routine.

"Next, please welcome Rory Gilmore!"

Rory turned to spare the room a shy smile before the pre-teen focused back on the task at hand. She took a breath then eyed the balance beam with sparks of fierce determination lighting her eyes. She tried to think past the frenzied nerves that were circling her belly. She feared she wasn't ready. Though she practiced the steady walk dozens of times, she'd fallen more than not. And the balance beam in front of her was higher from the ground and longer than the one she had practiced on. She knew she couldn't complete the routine like Melissa had, but she was silently praying that she'd at least be able to walk across it, then hop off and land on her feet.

Rory forced herself not to peak at her mom, as she knew Lorelai's expression would make her more nervous. And so instead she closed her eyes for a second, whispered to herself that she could do it, took a deep breath, and climbed up on the beam.

Lorelai frowned as she watched her daughter walk with unsteady feet. She took every step carefully and slowly with her arms held out on either side of her body for support. She kept her stare straight ahead, not looking away for even the slightest second. She was concentrating. And despite that Lorelai was annoyed over the fast one Rory pulled, still, she sat with her fingers crossed and her anxious gaze fixed on her daughter as she mentally prayed to God for a successful walk.

"Almost there, almost there," Lorelai whispered through a wince.

The finish line was right there, it was so close, it was within reach and Rory's eyes lit up when she found she only had a few steps to go. She got so excited that she got a little ahead of herself. She looked to her right to show her mom her happy gaze over the victory, but the second Rory pulled her focus away from her walk, the young Gilmore lost her footing and fell off the edge.

The room gasped in unison and Lorelai sprang up from her seat. What she didn't realize was that Luke jumped up as well. The two adults ran around either end of the aisle and raced to the stage where Rory said on the ground with a worried Patty and 7 frowning girls standing around her. The audience was up on their feet as they watched the scene unfold.

"Are you okay? Does something hurt? What hurts?" Lorelai asked anxiously.

"My ankle," Rory said while frowning at her mom.

"Yeah, looks like you twisted it," Luke piped in.

At his voice, Lorelai looked up, the surprise in her eyes when she found Luke sitting next to her.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Patty asked. "Should I call an ambulance?"

"I don't think so, but let's make sure," Luke said. "Can you try and move your foot? If you can't, something might be broken."

"Okay," Rory said uneasily while looking up at her mom.

Lorelai met Luke's eyes briefly then looked back to Rory to give her a nod.

"Start with your toes," Luke suggested.

Rory nodded and without a problem, she wiggled her toes. Luke smiled and at the grin on his face, Lorelai couldn't help but follow suit.

"Good," Luke said while looking up to the audience. "Kirk, go to the Diner and fill a bag with ice!"

"Got it!" Kirk said while jumping up form his seat.

"Is it bad?" Rory asked while looking down at her leg.

"Nothing too bad. I don't think anything's broken, but it's starting to swell up. Ice will help with that."

"Are you sure it's not broken?" Lorelai asked.

"Pretty sure," Luke confirmed. "Can you try moving your foot back and forth? Don't circle your ankle too much, just try moving your foot a little."

Rory nodded and carefully and slowly, she did as she was told.

"Good," Luke said encouragingly while giving the girl a smile. "Looks like you just sprained it. We'll put some ice on it, and I'll give you some crutches. You might have trouble walking around for a week or so, but the crutches will help. Okay?"

"Okay," Rory accepted through a tiny smile. "How come you have crutches?"

"Broke about every bone in my body when I was a kid."

"Oh, yeah," Rory realized as she remembered the stories he's told her. "Musta really hurt breaking your nose," she said through a wince.

Luke nodded in agreement. "Stay away from trees. And no ice hockey," he cautioned. "And no ice skating," he warned.

"But I love ice skating. Mom and I go all the time."

"Fine, but be careful," he warned seriously.

"I will."

"Good."

"Got the ice!" Kirk yelled while running up to the stage.

"Thanks," Luke said while grabbing the bag then gently molding it around Rory's ankle. "You need help getting her to the car?"

Lorelai had been so engrossed in the conversation between her daughter and Luke that she didn't hear him when he spoke her to her.

"Lorelai?"

"What? Yeah?"

"I can carry her to the car," he offered.

"Oh, no, that's okay, I can do it," she waved off.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "If I carry her you can hold the ice to her foot," he pointed out.

"Mom, you dropped a watermelon 'cause it was too heavy. I'm heavier than a watermelon."

"You bought a watermelon?" Luke asked in surprise.

"No, I didn't buy a watermelon; I had to move it to get to the cherries."

"You bought cherries?" he asked in the same tone.

"Yes, for my ice cream," he said primly.

"Figures," Luke grumbled while getting to his feet.

"Yeah, yeah, less complaining, more walking."

Luke rolled his eyes as Lorelai got to her feet next to him.

"Hold the bag while I pick her up," he instructed.

Lorelai hurried to do as she was told and after Luke had Rory securely in his arms, with Lorelai holding the bag to her daughter's foot, slowly they made their way through Patty's as everyone they past gave well wishes to the prêt-teen.

_XOX_

"Wait here," Luke said before turning from the jeep to hurry to the diner.

Lorelai nodded from the driver's seat. Once Luke was gone, she turned to frown sympathetically at her daughter who was lying across the back seat.

"So I guess no more gymnastics, huh?"

"No, I think I'll try again. I almost had it."

"Yeah, you did," Lorelai agreed. "But honey, I think you have to come to terms with the fact that the clumsy, uncoordinated thing is in your genes. Even your dad had trouble walking in a straight line, drunk or sober."

Rory smiled. "I figure if I can learn how to cook, maybe I can do this too," she said, though Lorelai could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"You keep going and I'll be there cheering you on every step of the way, but if you wanna quit, that's okay too. You don't have to be the world's best reporter _and _a gold medal gymnast. I'll love you just the same, even if you can't walk across a balance beam," Lorelai said through a big smile.

"You can't either," Rory returned.

"No, I can't, and I accept my lack of hand-eye-coordination, but you, my darling little non-giver-uper, haven't."

"You don't think I can do it?" Rory asked through a frown.

"Aw, sweets, I think you can conquer the world, but I don't want you doing this just to prove something. If you really like it, then okay, keep going, but if you're just sticking with it to prove that you can do it, but you really have no interest in it, then I think you should throw in the towel on this one."

Rory nodded. "Do I have to decide right now?"

"No, no, your next class isn't till next week. Take a couple of days, think it over, make a pro/con list, then make a decision, okay?"

"Okay," Rory accepted.

"Okay," Lorelai agreed while turning back to the front.

Another minute or two went by before Luke reappeared with crutches in one hand and a Dooses bag in the other.

"You went to the store?" Lorelai questioned.

"Oh, yeah. I picked this up," Luke explained while holding an Advil bottle up from the bag. "I know you have the pills at home, but I didn't know if Rory was still on liquid," he explained through a shrug. "Oh, and here, figured you'd want this," Luke said after plucking a small carton of ice cream from the bag, then giving it to Rory, along with a plastic spoon.

"Oh, chocolate brownie!" Rory exclaimed excitedly when she saw the flavor.

"Still your favorite, right?"

"Yup," Rory said before digging in.

"Good," Luke said while spreading a smile. "Just don't eat the whole thing in one shot, okay?" he warned.

Rory nodded through a full mouth and Luke sighed as he realized the cartoon would be gone within the hour.

"You didn't have to do this," Lorelai said softly after also finding an ace bandage and another carton of ice-cream in the bag, the second flavor being her favorite.

"No big deal," Luke said through a shrug.

_Very big deal_, Lorelai thought, but instead she said, "Thank you," while meeting his eyes.

"No problem."

Lorelai sighed a tiny sigh as Luke spread a small smile. Both were thinking similar thoughts, but neither adult said a word, neither one could spare their attention from the other as they fell into an all too familiar trance. It was a trance that had the potential of leading to something, if only Rory did unknowingly interrupt the moment.

"Oh, man, this is so good," Rory gushed gratefully from the back.

Lorelai blinked away as Luke turned to Rory.

"Makes your ankle feel better, doesn't it?" he asked while pointing to her leg.

Rory nodded enthusiastically while taking another bite.

"Thought it would."

"You thought right," Rory said seriously before digging in for another bite.

Lorelai couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"You need help bringing her inside?"

"Oh, no; really, Luke, you've done enough," Lorelai argued. "I'll bring her in, don't worry."

"Alright," he accepted while turning to Rory. "Take it easy, okay? Keep icing your ankle and use the crutches. You'll need them," he warned firmly.

"I will. Thanks, Luke," Rory said happily while demolishing her treat.

"Thank you," Lorelai said sincerely. "You really went above and beyond here."

Luke just shook it off, like she knew he would before he slipped from the car.

Lorelai watched him leave with a soft smile sitting on her face. She kept her eyes on his moving body as he hopped up the cement stairs, walked through the door, and then settled behind the counter. Immediately, he got right back into the rhythm of things as he grabbed the dishrag then spread it over the empty counter.

Lorelai glanced at the clock and her suspicions were confirmed when she found the time to be just after the early dinner crowd and before the late dinner rush. It was a lull. And with the lull came Luke cleaning the counter for the hundredth time.

Luke waved a little, catching the Gilmore by surprise, breaking the daze she had been caught in. Through a curious smile, Lorelai gave a little wave in return before forcing herself to look away and drive off.

_XOX_

_Crapshack_

"Aw, babe," Lorelai said before falling to the couch with a sigh. "You really are my daughter," she accused after hearing why Rory invited Luke to Patty's.

"I'm really sorry," Rory apologized through a pleading frown. "I just don't want you to be sad anymore."

"Honey," Lorelai sympathized. "I'm not sad," she said while giving Rory her cocoa.

"Yes you are," Rory argued softly. "You miss Luke."

Lorelai didn't know what to say. She didn't want to lie to her daughter, but she didn't want to seem vulnerable.

"It's okay to miss Luke, mom," Rory said after a silent minute passed. "I miss him too. I mean I know I see him at the diner, but I miss having him here," she explained, her voice quiet.

Lorelai frowned at her daughter and said, "I'm sorry, Rory, I'm so sorry. I know this is hard on you. I know this effects you, and I just-I don't know. We should've just…we should've been more careful, we should've thought more, we should've … I don't know- we just… I don't know," she gave up helplessly. "I'm just… I'm really sorry," she stuttered with tears welling in her eyes.

Rory frowned at her mother's watery eyes and pleading words. Carefully she leaned forward to wrap her arms around her mom.

Lorelai closed her eyes while circling her arms around Rory's back and pressing her chin to her daughter's shoulder.

After a moment, Lorelai took a breath and said, "I do miss him, " her voice so low, Rory could barely hear, even with the words so close to the pre-teen's ear.

"I know," Rory said while squeezing tighter. "But maybe you can be friends again. You talked a little today and you didn't fight or anything. That's good, right?" she said hopefully.

"I don't know," Lorelai said unsurely.

Rory pulled back just enough to find her mom's eyes. "Do you still love him? You do, right? Because I know Luke still loves you; he's so unhappy and so mean to everyone and he's getting orders wrong and throwing people out and-"

"Rory-"

"I know he misses you, he misses you so much, mom, and-"

"Rory, wait-"

"Maybe if you just talk it out you could-"

"Rory, please," Lorelai interrupted firmly. "I just… I can't go there. Please."

Rory nodded in understanding while leaning back against the couch. "I'm sorry."

Lorelai smiled a little. "It's okay."

Rory smiled in return. "Chinese? Willy Wonka?"

Lorelai nodded while getting to her feet. "You order, I'll put the tape in."

Rory reached for the menu and said, "Deal."

_XOX_

_KC's Bar_

With a brown, button down shirt covering his chest and a black belt keeping his black slacks in place, Derek smiled at the small bouquet of roses that sat in his hand. The man stopped to check his reflection in the glass and after deciding his jet black hair was groomed to his pleasing, his stood tall, took a breath, then walked through the bar.

Derek's eyes widened a bit as he walked through the semi crowded room. Yes, the man worked nights, but he had always been off on Saturdays; seeing every bar stool taken shocked him. Usually he spent the big party night sleeping because of his weird work schedule

"Hey, man, what you are doing here? Shouldn't you be home sawing logs?"

Derek turned to his friend/co-worker, Brian. "Shouldn't you be screwing some girl who isn't yours?"

"Hey, shut the hell up; Lisa's over there," Brian warned through a hiss while pointing to a table where his girlfriend sat with her group of friends.

Derek smiled while stopping for a newly vacated seat at the bar. "How is Sarah, by the way? And Christine? And Jenny? And-"

Brian leaned in and said, "she hears you and I swear, I'll rip your head off, chess queen."

"Hey, it's chess king," Derek corrected through a pointed index finger.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Keep your mouth shut, jackass," he warned before turning to the far end of the bar where a customer was in need.

Derek spread a grin while spinning in his seat to get a look at the time. He figured she'd show up around the same time she did the night before so when he found the time to be 8:56, he smiled while looking down at the flowers in his hands.

_XOX_

_Crapshack_

"Night, sweets," Lorelai said through a smile while tucking her daughter in.

"Night, mom," Rory returned groggily as the young girl had fallen asleep just minutes ago on the couch.

Lorelai leaned down to kiss Rory's cheek before whispering, "I Love you."

"Love you."

Lorelai smiled further at the weak words. Her daughter was fading fast.

"I'll be up early, okay? Just ring the bell when you're ready to get up."

Rory barely nodded.

"Okay," Lorelai said to herself before slipping from the room.

As she was heading down the hall to go up to bed, the ringing phone halted Lorelai's journey.

"Hello… oh, hey, Sook… oh, damn, I totally forgot… yeah, yeah, Rory's okay, just sprained her ankle, but nothing's broken… yeah, I guess I'll go to the bar tomorrow night; think you can watch Rory? … no, it's not a big deal… yeah, James told me he's working anyway, so… yeah…. Okay, night, Sook."

And with the device cradled in her hand, Lorelai headed up to bed for the night.

_XOX_

It was 10:06. The booming crowd was starting to file out. The bar would close in less than an hour, but still Derek sat on the stool while waiting for the girl he'd been admiring from afar to show up.

_XOX_

A moment or two after Lorelai changed for bed, the phone on her nightstand rang. Through furrowed brows, she turned to look at the device with questions in her eyes.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered curiously.

"Hey, Lorelai," Luke said through a wince while walking across his apartment.

"Luke?" she questioned, surprised.

"Yeah, sorry; were you sleeping?"

"No, you caught me just before I hit pillow… what's going on?" she asked cautiously.

"Oh, nothing, I just wanted to know how Rory was doing," he said while adjusting the cap on his head.

"Oh, you know, she's okay," Lorelai answered nervously. "Can't really walk, but something tells me she wont mind me being her personal servant for the next week or so."

"No, I don't think she will," Luke agreed through a smile.

"Yeah," Lorelai said through curving lips.

Silence.

More silence.

"So, um… is that all?"

"What? Oh, yeah, that's it. Sorry to keep you up."

"You're not keeping me up," Lorelai denied quickly.

Luke looked to check the time on his watch as he unfastened the device from his wrist. "It's after 10."

"Yes it is. Good to know your time telling skills haven't deteriorated."

Luke rolled his eyes as he reached to unbutton his flannel. "When you have work the next day, you're usually in bed by 10."

"Usually, not always," Lorelai pointed out while slipping her legs under the covers. "And who says I have work tomorrow?" she challenged.

"Your schedule changed over a month ago. You work Sundays," Luke explained.

"Well, aren't we mister know it all."

"I know you," Luke argued gruffly.

Loreali smiled. "Yes, you do," she agreed through a soft smile. "You do know me."

"Yeah," Luke agreed quietly while falling to the edge of his mattress while still wearing jeans and a white undershirt.

"And I know you," Lorelai added while settling her head to her pillow. "I know you go to bed early, and," the words paused as she tiled her head to look at the clock, "10:14 is not early. So what are you still doing up, grandpa?"

"If you know me, you should know I get late meat shipments on Saturday nights," Luke pointed out while tossing his ball cap to the chair.

"Oh, right, right," Lorelai remembered. "That's why we hardly went out. You and your meat deliveries kept us from barhopping."

"Bar hopping?" Luke questioned through a scoff while lying back on the mattress and folding his arm underneath his head. "You'd rather be sitting on the couch watching some dumb movie with a bowl of ice cream in your hands than out at some stupid bar."

"Yes, well, maybe if I had the option of barhopping, I'd like it better, but no, you took that away from me; you kept me from experiencing the joys of living the night life."

"You had better at home," Luke argued roughly.

Lorelai smiled hugely. "Don't we think highly of ourselves?"

"You shouldn't be out at bars anyway," Luke brushed off. "Especially at night," he added. "It isn't safe. When you're not looking, some ass-hole could easily slip something into your drink, and then that's it, you won't know what happened. No bars."

Lorelai smiled while spreading her palm over her belly. "Okay, no bars," she agreed.

"Good," Luke said.

A brief moment of silence passed before Lorelai said, "So, how's the diner?"

"A mess. Casear screwed up the stock room. I spent all day putting it back to the way it should be," Luke grumbled in complaint.

"Aw, poor baby."

"He had the pickles on the top shelf. One jar falls on someone's head and just like that, I get a lawsuit. He don't know what the hell he's doing."

"That may be true, but he's a fine cook."

"Yeah," Luke agreed." So, uh, how's the Inn?"

"Oh, you know, same old."

"When's the last time Sookie needed a paper bag?"

"Oh, just last week."

"Really?"

"Yup. She nearly had a heart attack because all the tomatoes in the fridge went bad."

"Jeez. How'd that end?"

"Well, these little mini superheroes named raisins came to the rescue and…"

_XOX_

_KC's_

Meanwhile, it was just after 11:00 when in the house next to all the gnomes, Lorelai Gilmore was busy talking with her ex-boyfriend over the phone while the guy who thought he had a shot, sighed before tossing the flowers to the trash. After they were thrown away, Derek kicked the trashcan, then stalked from the bar just before the lights went out.

_TBC_

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**Thanks for reading!**


	39. From Lovers To Friends

_To keep up with my writing status, follow me on Twitter_ **- Kaciiiiii **

We're getting to the big 4 0, folks! Aren't you excited? I know I am! And of course, I want to thank everyone who read/and or reviewed the last chapter. I'm so glad there's still enough interest in this story that I can keep it rolling! You guys make me smile!

Enjoy! :D

**Gilmore girls **

**Chapter 39: From Lovers To Friends**

_Late May_

_Independence Inn_

"Again?" Sookie gasped.

Lorelai nodded through a shrug while reaching to pop a tomato into her mouth. "What's the big deal?"

"The big- what's the- it's-Lorelai!"

"What? What? Okay, I surrender; lower your weapon," Lorleai said while backing away from the giant serving spoon Sookie was carelessly waving around.

"Last night you spent two hours talking with Luke. You and Luke talked on the phone for two hours. You and your ex boyfriend had a conversation over the phone for 120 minutes. Late at night, for the second time since the break up, you, Lorelai Gilmore talked with Luke Danes on the phone for _two hours_… and _you're_ asking _me_ what the big deal is? How do you not know what the big deal is?" Sookie exclaimed in frustration.

Lorelai sighed while putting down her coffee mug. She met Sookie's eyes and said, "He called about Rory, okay? Just like he did the last time. Rory mentioned to him that I was taking her to get her foot checked out since it had been over a week and she was still having trouble walking. He called, Rory was asleep, and so I answered. And when I answered, he asked about Rory. I told him the doctor said she was A-okay, she just needs a couple of days, and that's that."

"No, that is not that," Sookie argued while shaking her head furiously. "If that was that then you wouldn't have spent two hours talking to him. If all you had to say was that Rory was fine, then you would have spent two _minutes_ talking to him, not two _hours._"

Lorelai narrowed her stare. "How did you even find out, anyway?"

"Patty. You know her phone picks up more than half the towns' conversations."

"Damn, forgot about that."

"Why? You wouldn't have told me otherwise?" Sookie asked while a flash of hurt crossed her face.

Lorelai frowned. "You're my best friend; I tell you everything. Everything but this," she teased through a smile.

Sookie waved Lorelai off before turning to the salad she had been preparing and saying, "I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"You and Luke. Are you friends now? Can you stand to be in the same room again? What's going on with you two?"

Lorelai thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know, Sook. I just know that it's been nice talking to him again. Really nice. The funny thing is we hardly ever talked like this while we were together. Luke's not big with the verbal. He's more of an actions-speaks-louder-than-words kinda guy. Most of the time it was me blabbing away and when I wasn't talking a mile a minute, it was only because his lips were covering mine and I couldn't," she described sadly while falling down on a stool. "I know this isn't good, talking to him. I know my heart could end up getting involved again, but I just…" the words stopped as Lorelai looked up at Sookie helplessly. "I don't know. I don't know what's going on," she said honestly.

The chef frowned sympathetically at her friend while reaching to pat her shoulder. "Well, maybe you should look at it the other way."

"What other way?"

"Before you two went out, didn't Luke say he'd always be around?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No, no buts. He wouldn't have said that if he didn't want to be friends post possible break up."

"Post break up," Lorelai murmured.

"My point is," Sookie started while reaching for a can of olives," maybe you should look at this talking on the phone thing as a second chance. You can start over. You can be friends again. There is no 'Lorelai isn't welcome here' sign on the diner window stopping you from trying. Plus, he's still giving Rory swim lessons, he helped you out when she hurt her ankle, you've been talking on the phone… you're getting along. You should take advantage of this. Go to the diner for some coffee. Test the waters."

Lorelai looked up at her friend with an unsure look on her face. "I don't know, Sook."

"What's not to know? You're already broken up. Things can't get any worse," Sookie reasoned through a shrug.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the reminder."

"I'm sorry," Sookie apologized through a wince. "But I just think this can be good for you. We all know Luke is miserable and you don't look like you're ready to break out in song. Don't you want to be friends with him again? I mean isn't that what you were worried about in the first place? You were afraid to start something because you thought you could lose him? Well, he didn't go anywhere. He's here. He's at the diner. He promised he'd always serve you coffee. I know you're worried about getting attached again, but I would think being friends is better than nothing… isn't it?"

Lorelai's lips curled to a frown as her chin fell in her palms. From behind, Sookie gave a reassuring smile while rubbing her friend's back encouragingly.

"I'll go with you! We'll go on my break!" she cheered excitedly.

Lorelai didn't say a word, though she gave a slight nod of agreement.

_XOX_

_Diner_

"Hey, look, the mailman's on fire!"

"Oh my God!" Sookie gasped as her head whipped around. Her eyes darted from side to side when she saw the man in question crossing the street without a flame in sight. When she found the mail carrier to be fire free, she whirled back to Lorelai with furrowed brows, but there was no one next to her when she turned around.

"Hey, get back here!" Sookie shouted when she spotted the Gilmore running across the street.

"No!" Lorelai yelled without turning around.

Sookie was about to go after her friend when bells chimed behind her. She turned to the noise to find Luke coming from the diner with a confused frown on his face.

"What the hell is she doing?" he asked as he watched Lorelai run up the gazebo with his arms crossed over his chest.

"She's being a CHICKEN!" Sookie explained, the last word loud enough to echo through the square. "I can't believe she's running."

Through a shrug, Luke said, "Give her another five seconds. She'll probably collapse before she reaches the end of the square."

The two watched with curious eyes as not too soon after Luke predicted, Lorelai stopped in the middle of the street, her body hunched forward as she held up a hand to stop an oncoming car.

"She's gonna get herself killed," Luke growled.

"Serves her right for running away."

"Running away from what?"

"You."

Luke's brows furrowed further. "Me?" he asked while jabbing his finger to his chest.

"We were coming in for coffee."

Luke waited a beat then said, "So why didn't you?"

"The runner! She ran!" Sookie explained in exclamation while gesturing to Lorelai who was finally dragging her body from the middle of the street.

Luke waited for further explanation and when Sookie didn't voice one, he said, "I don't get it."

Sookie sighed while turning away from the scene and focusing on Luke. "Do you want to be friends with her or not?" she asked bluntly.

"What?"

"Answer the question."

"I don't-"

"You promised her you wouldn't go away," she reminded him.

"I didn't go away," he said defensively.

"Do you want to be friends with her?" Sookie repeated.

"It's not that simple," the man grumbled.

"Why not?" Sookie challenged. "Either you want to be her friend or you don't. Answer the question."

Luke mustered a stern look and said, "Hey, I know you're her friend, but this isn't your business, Sookie," he warned.

"Of course it's my business! That's my best friend over there!" she yelled while pointing across the square where Lorelai sat on a bench. "When she's sad, I'm sad. When she's hurting, I'm hurting. And when she needs to know if the man who promised to be her friend no matter what will follow through with that promise, I'm going to be the one to find out," Sookie explained, her voice firm. "You called her twice, Luke. You talked on the phone with her for hours. You're getting her hopes up. You have her all confused. Don't do that if you don't want to be friends with her. Don't' help her if you don't want her in the diner. Don't call her if you don't want to see her again. You have to make a choice here, Luke. And you know that starts with the diner. Can she go in? Will you serve her coffee?"

The question was as simple as the act itself, as pouring someone a cup of java. But despite that, Luke had to think about it. His thoughtful stare went from Sookie to the girl in the distance, the girl who still had his heart while his mind tried to figure out the right thing to do. While he tried to figure out if he could put his feelings aside and be the guy he promised to be.

"I know you still love her," Sookie said, this time her voice quieter, but the low volume was still enough to break Luke from his thoughts. "I know things aren't' black and white between you two, but she misses you. Despite her fears, she wants to get back the friendship you had. You know, the first thing she said when she came to the Inn this morning was that you called her. She was so happy. You should've seen the smile on her face when she told me about it," Sookie explained. "She hasn't been the same since the break up. I keep waiting for her to get back to the Lorelai I know is there, but it hasn't happened yet and I don't think anything I, or even Rory does will change that. Maybe time, but I don't think even that will do it, not completely. You're the one who can change it, Luke. Even if all she can get from you is friendship, I think it will make a world of difference for her. But you have to want it too. Do you want it?" she asked, her eyes begging for him to say yes. "Do you want Lorelai back in your life?"

Luke sighed.

_Three Minutes Later_

_Diner_

"Piece-a work," Luke muttered while rounding the counter to grab the phone. He quickly dialed the all too familiar number, pressed the device between his ear and shoulder, and then turned to look through the window to fix his stare on the stubborn caffeine addict who was sitting on a bench across the square.

The buzzing in her pocket caused her to jump from her slouched position. Lorelai sat up in a flash while pressing her hand to her fast beating heart when she realized it was her cell phone that was vibrating.

"Sookie, I swear, if this is you, I am not going in there," Lorelai warned while slipping her phone from her jean pocket.

"Hello," she answered.

"Get in here," the male voice demanded.

Lorelai shifted her gaze to the corner of her eyes. "Who is this?"

"Who do you think? Get your ass off that bench and get in here. Your coffee has another minute before it gets cold, and I'm not giving you another cup if it does," he warned.

With curiosity in her eyes, Lorelai looked up towards the diner. She narrowed her stare through the big, glass window to find the keeper of the coffee standing behind the counter with the phone to his ear.

"Luke?"

"Yes, Luke," he confirmed, the patience clearly lost from his voice. "Will you get over here?"

"You really have coffee for me?" she asked through a slow curving smile.

"Yes, and if you don't come in here and claim it, I'm selling the cup to someone else."

"You wouldn't!" Lorelai gasped.

"20 seconds before I give it to the old guy by the window."

When Lorelai saw that Luke was about to hang up, she yelled for him to stop.

"What?" Luke barked.

Lorelai smiled further. "Can you bring the coffee out here to me?"

"What? No. I have a diner to run. I'm not delivering you coffee when you're sittin' right there," he complained while waving his hand at the window.

"Please?" Lorelai begged while finding his eyes through the short distance. "My legs hurt from all the running; I don't feel like getting up. Plleeeeeassseeeeee."

Luke huffed while starring at her through narrowed eyes.

"Thank you!" Lorelai exclaimed before hanging up.

_XOX_

"Mmm, tastes better out here," Lorelai said appreciatively after taking a long sip.

"Tastes better 'cause you didn't have to move an inch to get it," Luke complained.

Lorelai looked to her side and the biggest smile popped on her face at the grumpy frown on Luke's and the way he had his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest. His back rested against the bench as he sat low in the seat with his legs spread out in front of him and his boots planted firmly on the sidewalk.

"I can't believe I went this long without drinking your coffee. Yeah, sure, I got to go back to Weston's and visit Beans-"

"Beans?"

"Beans the coffeemaker."

"Ah."

"Yeah and you know, it was nice seeing him again but the stuff that comes outta him doesn't compare to the stuff that comes outta Jones."

"My coffeemaker?"

"Yup."

Luke sighed while sitting up further. "About that, you could've come in."

"Yeah?" she questioned.

Luke held silent for a minute before saying, "well, you can now."

Lorelai nodded while looking down at the to-go cup in her hand. "Sookie talked to you, didn't she?"

"Yeah," Luke admitted, his voice low.

"Let me guess- she thinks I'm ready to jump off a bridge?"

"No, no, nothing like that, she just reminded about something."

"About what?" Lorelai questioned while looking up at him.

"Something important."

"Same question."

Luke sighed before saying, "About this," while waving his hand between them. "About what we were before… about what… you know… before we-"

"Yeah, I know," Lorelai stopped him, the words soft. "We were good. We had a rhythm. We had a routine. I bugged you for coffee and you fixed things. It was a good dynamic."

Luke smiled while patting her knee as he stood from the bench. "So I'll see you in the diner tomorrow morning?"

Lorelai nodded. "And I'll see you at my house tonight?"

Luke gave her a questioning look.

"Something's wrong with the toaster," she said through a wince.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's not toasting."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Be there after closing," he promised before turning to walk away.

"Don't forget Bert!"

"Stop naming my appliances!" he shouted without looking back.

"Never!"

"You're insane!"

"Thank you!" Lorelai yelled with a happy smile lighting her face.

_TBC…_

**Thanks for reading! Care to review before you go?** :D


	40. Green Light, Red Light, 1, 2, 3

And we've reached **40!** Yay!

As always, a million big thank yous to everyone whose been following this story! Love you all!

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 40: Green Light, Red Light, 1, 2, 3**

_Crapshack_

"I'm nervous; why am I nervous?"

"Because we're going to Luke's for breakfast."

"Yes, but… why am I nervous?"

"Because we're going to Luke's for breakfast."

Lorelai rolled her eyes while filling a mug with coffee. "Are you ready?"

"Just need to put my shoes on," Rory said while hobbling off to her room, using the crutches for support to reach her bed. "Are we going to the picnic right after Luke's?"

"What time does it start?"

"1:00," Rory answered while slipping her feet into a pair of flip-flops.

Lorelai looked down at her watch and found that it was almost 9:30. "Probably not. I need to make a Dooses run first, then stop by the Inn. But if we're crunched for time, we can do all that later."

"Okay, then I'll bring the basket," Rory said while bending to the floor for her backpack.

"You and Lane still manning the flag booth?" Lorelai asked while smoothing clear lip-gloss around her lips. "Might not be such a good idea," she said while pointing to her daughter's ankle that was wrapped in an ace bandage.

"Patty's gonna bring out a chair for me so I can sit."

Lorelai frowned while turning to her daughter's room as she swiped her purse and coffee from the counter. "So you're leaving me all alone, huh?"

"What?"

"You're ditching me to sell those lame-o, tiny flags."

Rory looked up at her mom with her brows knit in confusion as she carefully got to her feet. "Aren't you doing the ticket booth for the firework show?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Kirk beat me to the sign up sheet."

"Oh. Well, I'll only miss desert. We'll still have lunch together like we always do."

"Great, so I have to sit all alone on a big checkered blanket with piles of sweets around me and no one to share them with? How pathetic does that look?"

"Sookie can't come?" Rory asked while leading the way to the kitchen.

"She's busy being a good daughter. Can you believe that? Missing the Memorial Day picnic to watch her mother sleep all afternoon. What is this world coming to?" Lorelai complained

Rory peaked over her shoulder to give her mom a frown. "Her mom is sick."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but still," Lorelai argued petulantly.

"You do realize you'll never get into heaven if you keep talking like that?"

"Pft, I'll just bribe God with a crisp twenty and he'll let me through those golden gates. Don't you worry, missy."

"And when God strikes you with a bolt of lightening for trying to bribe your way into heaven, don't say I didn't warn you."

_Diner_

"Wait, wait," Lorelai said while reaching for Rory's arm.

The girl stopped just before getting her crutch propped up on the first stair. "What?"

"We need to take a minute to absorb this moment."

"What moment?"

"This, me going back to the diner. It's a big thing. We need a second to take it all in," Lorelai said before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Since I go in there everyday, can I skip the moment?"

Lorelai popped an eye open and said, "first you're ditching mommy before desert and now you want to leave me during my moment?" she asked, like her daughter leaving her would be something akin to getting stabbed in the back.

"Fine," Rory gave while leaning further into her crutches.

Not five seconds later, the young Gimore asked, "Is the moment over yet?"

"Not yet," Lorelai answered without opening her eyes.

Three seconds later. "How 'bout now?"

"Not yet."

Two seconds later. "Now?"

"Nope."

One second later.

"Now?"

Lorelai sighed in frustration while opening her eyes. "Someone's impatient this morning," she grumbled while walking past Rory to grab the door.

"Hungry," the pre-teen argued.

"Alright, Gimpy, go on in," Lorelai said while pulling the door open.

Rory stuck her tongue out at her mother while walking ahead into the diner.

With the time being after the morning rush and before the lunch crowd, plenty of tables were open.

"Pancakes? Sausage? Eggs?"

"And a hash brown," Rory confirmed while taking a seat by the window.

"Coming up," Lorelai promised while heading for the counter. She stopped in front of the register, put her forearms on the counter top, and then leaned forward as her chin fell to her palms. She focused her stare on the man in front of her, on the tall, scruffy flannel wearing diner owner whose attention was on the receipts beneath him.

Half a minute ticked by without Luke looking her way.

"You know, if you use a calculator you could crunch those numbers a lot faster, Rain man."

At the interruption, the tickets fell from Luke's hand as his glaring stare flew to Lorelai.

"Jeez, don't do that," he growled.

The Gilmore just smiled further. "Sorry," she apologized; though her tone told him she wasn't sorry at all. "But aren't you supposed to do that when you're off the clock? What would your boss say if he caught counting receipts when there are customers waiting to be fed?

"He'd say you eat enough in a day to feed a country; you can wait two minutes."

"No, I can't. You see, we have a very busy day ahead of us. We have a lot to do before the picnic, so come on, get the grill going, get the coffee pouring and have the donuts ready for that very second after we take our last bites. The clocks a-tickin and we don't' have time to waste. Let's go, hop to it," Lorelai said while slapping the counter.

Luke peaked up at her, and then focused back on the task at hand while saying, "A minute won't kill your schedule. Go sit down and wait."

Lorelai frowned. "Did you not hear anything I just said? A minute of waiting would be time wasted and we can't waste time today. Tight schedule, remember?"

Luke sighed. "So what if you're late to the picnic? It's the same damn thing every year. Worst case, you miss Taylor dressed up as a solider while he goes on and on about the army. You could always catch that next year and the year after that and the year after that and the year after that…"

"Hey, this year he's letting Kirk dress up too, and I am not missing that," Lorelai warned with a pointing index finger.

Luke looked up with his brows quirked. "He is?"

"Yes. And there's even word that Kirk's going to put his own twist on the national anthem. So as you can see, this afternoon is shaping up to be a must see event. So breakfast, please, hurry," Lorelai begged.

"Fine," Luke gave in while tossing the receipts to the counter, then turning for the kitchen.

"Thank you!" Lorelai cheered while clapping her hands together as she skipped back to her seat.

From the stove, Luke looked over his shoulder to see Lorelai grinning happily as she settled to her seat. Luke sighed at the scene, though a smile threatened his lips as he turned back to the frying pan.

"The things I do…" he muttered through a sad shake of his head.

_XOX_

After finishing up her last pancake, Rory drank the rest of her milk, then put the cup down while saying, "Can I go to Lane's before the picnic? "

Lorelai nodded through a full mouth of eggs. After swallowing, she said, "I'll pick you guys up on the way there."

"Okay," Rory agreed as she stood up. "Bye. Bye, Luke!"

"Bye, Rory!" he called from the counter.

After the teen gave smiles to both adults, she turned to leave.

After another minute or so, and Lorelai found herself sitting in front of an empty plate. That had to be rectified and quickly.

Through a groan, Lorelai pushed from her chair and got to her feet. She put her hand to her somewhat full tummy that was still growling for more as she dragged her way to the counter.

"I finished the first course and now I'm ready for round two."

The rag that he'd been circling around the counter stilled as Luke looked up and said, "you're like a car with a broken gas gage."

"I'd question that comparison but my eyes, brain and mouth are fully focused on that chocolate sprinkled donut sitting right there on the top," Lorelai said while pointing to the glass case.

Luke sighed while reaching to lift the lid from the case.

"Take it."

"You're making me get the donut myself?" Lorelai asked in shock.

"Two seconds before I close it."

"Okay, okay." Quickly Lorelai snatched the donut and with a smirk, Luke put the lid back on not a second after she freed her treat.

"You know you would've paid the hospital bill if you broke my finger just then," Lorelai said through a frown while holding the donut protectively to her chest.

"Your finger's fine," Luke argued gruffly while grabbing the rag to pick up where he left off.

"No thanks to you."

Luke gave her a look before saying, "so what time do you want me to come over?"

"What?"

"The toaster," he reminded her. "I couldn't come by last night; you said it was broken."

"Oh, right," Lorelai realized through a shake of her head. "Umm," she hummed while looking up at the time. "You free now? I have to stop at Dooses but then we could head to my house."

"Didn't you have to go to the Inn?"

"The Inn can wait 'till tomorrow," Lorelai waved off.

"I guess I can close up for the day," Luke reasoned after a moment of thought. "Everyone's gonna be out there anyway," he said while pointing to the square.

Lorelai smiled. "Great, I'll take this to go," she said before taking a large bit from her donut.

Luke sighed. "Let's go."

_Dooses_

"Okay, I just need ice cream, and then we can go."

"You know, when you said you needed to stop by Dooses, I thought you'd be five minutes, not twenty," Luke grumbled in complaint as they turned the corner.

"Yes, well I underestimated my grocery list."

"No kidding."

With a smile, Lorelai said, "Just as soon as I grab a cartoon of Ben and Jerry, we're outta here."

Luke nodded while following her to the freezer.

Lorelai knew exactly which door to go to without having to glance through the frosty glass. And when she found a man's shopping cart blocking the door, she went to move the cart to clear the path.

"Hey, thief, get back here! I have invaluable tomatoes in there!"

Lorelai stopped. She was sure she knew that voice. And when she turned around, a smile took her lips at the sight of Derek standing by the freezer.

"Hey, small world," she said while approaching him.

"Oh, uh, yeah, " Derek said uncomfortably while quickly walking past her with a carton of ice cream in each hand. "I gotta get home before my shift. See ya around," he said just before disappearing around the aisle.

Lorelai turned to Luke with a confused frown. "That was weird."

"What?" Luke questioned distractedly while taking a few steps forward to get a look at the guy as he joined the checkout line. He folded his arms across his chest while he eyed Derek guy suspiciously.

"He blew me off," she said in awe. "I guess Sookie was right. He was joking," Lorelai murmured in wonder.

Without turning, Luke asked, "he what?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "nothing," while heading to the fridge for her frozen treat. "Let's go."

_Kim House_

"Wow, really?" Lane awed.

"Yeah, and she even talked to him and everything. It was great," Rory described happily.

"I can't believe your mom went back to the diner. About time."

"Yeah," Rory agreed. "I hated going in there without her."

"Well, now you won't have to," Lane said through a smile.

_Crapshack_

"You know where the toaster is," Lorelai said while walking through the foyer with a grocery bag in each hand.

"Yup," Luke agreed while following her with two grocery bags in each hand.

Lorelai was first to deposit her things on the kitchen table, then after smiling at Luke, she looped through the hall to check her blinking answering machine.

_You have 1 new message_

_Beep!_

_Hey, Lor, it's Chris_

That caught the Gilmore's attention as she lowered the stack of mail that sat in her hand.

_So I haven't heard from you and Rory in a while and I guess I can thank the vodka I drank at your parent's for that, huh?"_

Lorelai frowned at his lame attempt at a joke.

_I know you're probably pissed about what happened, but cut me some slack here; I mean that Luke guy? Come on, Lor, seriously? He works in a diner for crying out loud. Can you be anymore redneck? _He said through a laugh, one that Lorelai didn't join in on. _ But anyway, I am sorry for how it all went down. And for him to just leave you like that during your birthday dinner? I'll admit, I'm no diamond in the rough, but to leave you on your birthday like that? The guy's a jerk. You're better off without him. _

Lorelai's brows knit in anger as her heated stare bore through the answering machine.

_Anyway, hopefully you'll forgive me before next weekend. Tell Rory I'm coming through town. I'll see you guys in a week. _

_Beep!_

Lorelai sighed a breath while dropping the unopened mail to the desk, then looking up to focus back on the waiting groceries. But when her eyes trailed back to the kitchen, she found a stunned Luke standing in the archway.

_TBC. . ._

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	41. Sickness & Stuff

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Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone whose been keeping up with this story! For those who always review or sometimes review, you all know that reviews mean a lot to me, so a big thank you :D

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 41: Sickness & Stuff**

_Hey, Lor, it's Chris_

That caught the Gilmore's attention as she lowered the stack of mail that sat in her hand.

_So I haven't heard from you and Rory in a while and I guess I can thank the vodka I drank at your parent's for that, huh?"_

Lorelai frowned at his lame attempt at a joke.

_I know you're probably pissed about what happened, but cut me some slack here; I mean that Luke guy? Come on, Lor, seriously? He works in a diner for crying out loud. Can you be anymore redneck? _He said through a laugh, one that Lorelai didn't join in on. _But anyway, I am sorry for how it all went down. And for him to just leave you like that during your birthday dinner? I'll admit, I'm no diamond in the rough, but to leave you on your birthday like that? The guy's a jerk. You're better off without him. _

Lorelai's brows knit in anger as her heated stare bore through the answering machine.

_Anyway, hopefully you'll forgive me before next weekend. Tell Rory I'm coming through town. I'll see you guys in a week. _

_Beep!_

Lorelai released a breath while dropping the unopened mail to the desk, then looking up to focus back on the waiting groceries. But when her eyes trailed to the kitchen, she found a stunned Luke standing in the archway.

Luke's stare traveled from Lorelai's eyes to the answering machine. Helplessly, Lorelai slammed her finger on the delete button, as if erasing the message could undo the words that were said.

"Luke," Lorelai said a moment later, her voice quiet.

The man in question quickly shifted his dazed focus from the phone, to the Gilmore in front of him.

"Gotta got my tool box," he said shortly before turning down the hall.

Lorelai frowned further as she turned to the foyer to find the front door swung wide open and Luke hurrying down the porch stairs.

XOX

Things were awkward, to the say the least.

After getting his toolbox from his truck, Luke didn't say boo when he came back through the house. He didn't even close the door behind him. He just headed straight for the kitchen, parked himself and Bert next to the broken toaster, and then quickly went to work.

At the scene, Lorelai simply sighed a breath before picking up where she left off. She went back to the car another time then moved around the still air while the two kept in silence as Luke did his thing and Lorelai did hers.

But after emptying two bags, Lorelai couldn't take the quiet any longer.

"Luke," Lorelai called softly as she paused in front of the kitchen table with a roll of paper towels pressed to her belly.

"What?" the man barked with his back to her.

Despite his tone, Lorelai decided to bite the bullet. "How much did you hear?"

Luke didn't have to ask to know what she was talking about. "Enough."

Lorelai's curved lips dropped another inch. "You know I don't agree with anything he said, right? I mean you know I don't think those things about you."

"Doesn't matter. He can say whatever the hell he wants; you'll still let him come and go as he pleases, right?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Lousy bastard," Luke muttered.

Lorelai dropped the paper towels on the table before crossing her arms over her chest. "Okay, I know you're not a big Christopher fan, but have you forgotten that he's Rory's father? You like Rory, remember?"

Luke whipped around to say, "So, what, he's Rory's father when he's shooting his mouth off about me, but when he's making promises he won't keep, then it's okay to bash him? Is that how it is? Do I have the rules straight?" Luke spat angrily.

"What the hell am I supposed to do, Luke?" Lorelai challenged, her tone matching his previous one. "I can't just cut him off, no matter how much he screws up; _he's Rory's father_," she stressed firmly.

"Yeah," Luke said while turning to grab his toolbox. "But he wants nothing to do with Rory. That asshole wants one thing, and that's you in his bed," Luke warned with an index finger pointing in the Gilmore's direction.

Lorelai's mouth dropped.

For a second, Luke almost faltered to her wide, shocked eyes, but he stood his ground.

"But it all works out, right?" Luke continued. "He's coming by next week and you're single. You're free to do what you want. So go ahead, sleep with the guy. Call him up right now, tell him you're waitin' for him. I'll bet he'll come running. Go make his damn dream come true. I don't care," Luke asserted firmly before heading for the door.

It took Lorelai all but five seconds before she darted after him.

"I don't know what the hell you're problem is," Lorelai shouted from the porch as Luke was sliding into his truck, "but you have no right to speak to me that way!"

Luke didn't respond as he put his key the ignition.

Quickly, Lorelai raced down the porch stairs and to his truck. "You don't get to do that anymore. You don't get to talk about him like that. I know Chris can be an idiot, but he's Rory's father. If I thought all he was interested in was me, if that were true, then it would all be over. The door to Rory would close in a second. And if you think I want to be with him, in any way, than you know nothing about me," Lorelai said before pushing away from the truck.

Before Luke could make a move, Lorelai's face popped back into his window again.

"And another thing," she started the words burning with anger "You're right; I am single. I am free to do what I want. And I _will _do what I want. I'll see whomever I want, whenever I want, and there's nothing you can do about it. And if that bothers you, oh well. You let me go. I'm not yours anymore. You let me go."

Her voice rang through his truck as Luke watched Lorelai go back inside through far away eyes. But the front door slamming behind her broke his daze and quickly he put his truck in reverse. When he reached the street, Luke pressed hard on the gas, pushing the speed limit until Lorelai's house was gone from sight.

_XOX_

_Square_

"Are you okay?" Roy asked as she hobbled alongside her mother with Lane to her left.

"I'm fine," Lorelai said while quickly plastering on a smile. "Why?"

"You don't seem okay."

"I just have a headache."

"Are you sure?"

Lorelai nodded before tipping her Weston's cup to her lips for a long sip of coffee.

Rory accepted her mother's answer, though she still suspected something was going on. Especially since her mom had a cup from Weston's and not Luke's. But for the moment she didn't press the issue as the trio made way into the already heavily populated square.

"Damn. Are we late?" Lorelai asked.

Rory shook her head after checking her watch. "Five minutes early."

"This place is packed already," Lorelai said through a frown as her eyes traveled across the Memorial Day themed square. A giant banner hung around the gazebo with smaller ones lining the few booths scattered around the area. And of course, the square was decked out in red, white and blue.

"There's a spot over there," Lane said while pointing to a vacant area of grass along the sidewalk, right across from the diner.

"Of course," Lorelai muttered with her eyes on the diner window. "Lead the way."

_XOX_

Kirk rapping the national anthem while dressed like some sort of gangster army solider should have been more than enough to grab and hold Lorelai's attention. The performance held the eyes and ears of everyone else in the square, even Taylor who stood off to the side swaying to the beat. But Lorelai couldn't keep her focus in check. She sat on her red and white picnic blanket with her head in the clouds as her legs were crossed Indian style and she leaned back on her open palms. Her eyes were on the gazebo, aka, Kirk's stage, but her mind was somewhere else. She couldn't stop thinking about what Luke said and what Chris said and what she said. The jumbled up thought train chugging through her mind was giving her a massive headache.

_XOX_

After getting through lunch and doing her best to keep a smile on her face and contribute to the conversation, Lorelai gave a wave to Rory and Lane as they hurried off to man their booth. And with the girls' departure, Lorelai was ready to go. She was itching to leave, to talk a walk, to try and make sense of what happened. But she thought better of it when Rory met her eyes from the booth and waved. Lorelai realized leaving would stir a question or two in her daughter's curious mind and she didn't want to talk about the fight, especially with Rory. She felt the teen didn't need to know what was said about her dad, and even more so because Luke was the one to say the hurtful words.

So instead of leaving, Lorelai decided to suck it up as she unwrapped a piece of Weston's crumb cake from her basket. While she was chewing, her eyes wandered to the diner. Luke's focus was already on her and when their gazes met, they couldn't part them. Luke looked like he wanted to say something; Lorelai's expression was silently pleading for him to take back what he said, but her wish didn't come true. Another second passed and Luke turned to the ringing telephone. Lorelai frowned further while turning back to the square.

_XOX_

_Crapshack_

The festival came to a close after the evening's firework show, after those involved spend a half hour arguing over who gets to light the fireworks. It was the same fight every year and every year they kept Kirk far away from the fireworks while the rest took turns lighting them. They decided to go from oldest to youngest. It was the same method of order they went with year after year.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed," Rory said through a wince while slowly making her way through the foyer.

"Already?" Lorelai asked through a frown after she noticed that the time was just shy of 9:00 p.m

Rory nodded while stopping to press her hand to her belly. "Stomach hurts," she explained.

"Feeling sick?" Lorelai asked while molding her palm around her daughter's forehead.

"A little bit."

"You're not warm. That's a good sign." Lorelai noticed thoughtfully. "But come on, let's get you into bed."

Rory nodded in agreement while following her mother down the hall. When Rory reached her room, she went straight for her bed to lie down.

"I think I ate something bad."

"You ate what I ate, hon," Lorelai argued through a frown.

Rory shook her head. "Mrs. Kim made Lane something and it tasted funny."

"What was it?"

"I don't know. Something with chicken. It had a weird name."

"If you didn't like it, how come you ate it?"

"Because Lane had to eat it," Rory said through a shrug.

Lorelai smiled. "You were doing the supportive friends thing?"

"Yeah."

Lorelai nodded in understanding while reaching for the phone from Rory's nightstand, then plopping down on the edge of the bed.

"Who are you calling?"

"Mrs. Kim. I wanna know if Lane's not feeling well."

Rory nodded while putting her hand to her upset belly.

"Hi, Mrs. Kim?... Oh, yeah, no problem, I was happy to take them… Well, Rory's not feeling too good, and I wanted to know if Lane was feeling alright... Oh, she is?" Lorelai asked while turning to frown at her daughter. "A bad batch, huh?... Yeah, maybe it was bad… Oh, wow, you're taking her to the hospital… yeah, yeah, better to be safe than sorry… Okay, well, tell her I hope she feels better… bye, Mrs. Kim."

Lorelai sighed while hanging up the phone and focusing back on Rory.

"Lane's going to the hospital?"

Lorelai nodded. "Apparently you two didn't get the best chickens in the barn."

"Is she okay? What happened?" Rory asked worriedly.

"She's been… you know, sick for a while, in the bathroom," Lorelai hedged. "And after hearing about you, Mrs. Kim thinks it might be the chicken. "

"We should go to. Lane doesn't like the hospital," Rory said while moving to sit up.

"Nu uh uh, back down, sickie."

"But-"

"Sweets, no one likes the hospital, but Mrs. Kim is with Lane; she'll be okay And I promise, if she's still there in the morning we'll go see her. But right now I want you in bed.

Rory agreed through a small, frowning nod while lying back to her pillow.

"Aw, babe," Lorelai sympathized while sitting down on the edge of the bed. She put her hand to Rory's belly and swayed her fingers back and forth while saying, "what about you? You need to visit the vomitorium too?"

"Don't say that word," Rory complained while grabbing a pillow and pressing it to her face.

Lorelai frowned while reaching to pluck the pillow from Rory's eyes. "How do you feel right now? Does it feel like you might get sick?"

Rory nodded.

"Alright, here's the plan," Lorelai said while getting to her feet. "I'm gonna set you up for bed, then set me up right there," she said while pointing to the chair near the foot of the mattress. "And no arguments because I'm sleeping in here whether you like it or not. If you need someone to hold your hair while you're, you know, by the toilet, or if we need to make a doctor run, I need to be close by."

Rory just nodded. She was too queasy to argue.

"I'm gonna get a bucket and put it by your bed just incase you get sick."

"Bathroom," Rory argued while shaking her head slowly.

Lorelai smiled a little. "If you can make it there. The bucket is just incase."

Rory nodded.

"Okay," Lorelai said while turning for the dresser. "Let's get you changed for bed."

_XOX_

Not a half hour later and a worried Lorelai was running from the bathroom to catch the ringing telephone.

"Hello… Hi, Mrs. Kim, I really can't tal- Salmonella?" Lorelai questioned while spinning to the bathroom. "They think its salmonella poisoning?... how is she? Is she okay?... oh, man," Lorelai sighed while curving her palm around her forehead. "Yeah, I think we're gonna be on our way there soon; Rory's not doing so good… okay, yeah… bye, Mrs. Kim."

After hanging up, Lorelai dropped the phone to the couch then hurried back the bathroom where Rory was sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her legs and her cheek pressed to her bent knees.

"Rory?" Lorelai questioned while sliding to the floor. "Baby, look at me."

Rory rolled her head to her mother to meet Lorelai's eyes and the eldest Gilmore frowned further at how pale her daughter looked. Quickly, she put her hand to Rory's forehead.

"You're burning up."

Without lifting her head, Rory reached an arm out and Lorelai moved closer to wrap her arms around her daughter.

"I talked to Mrs. Kim," Lorelai said a moment later after pulling back just enough to find Rory's tired gaze. "I think they're gonna keep Lane over night."

Rory nodded a bit through closed eyes.

Lorelai sighed while tucking Rory's hair behind her ear. "I'm gonna call the doctor, okay?"

_XOX_

After speaking to a nurse, Lorelai was told to bring her daughter to the hospital. Severe throwing up combined with a fever and more was enough for them to urge Lorelai to bring Rory in. And so at 9:32, with a bucket held in her hands, Rory followed her mom to the car.

"Lorelai?" Babette's raspy voice called.

The Gilmore looked up to find her neighbors walking down the street towards their house. "Hey."

"What's goin' on? What's with the bucket? Are you sick, Sugah?"

Rory nodded while her mother opened the car door.

"She and Lane had some bad chicken. Lane's at the hospital and we're heading there now.

"Oh, lemme come with you," Babette volunteered. "You need someone to help with Rory."

"Oh, no Babette, that's okay," Lorelai said hurriedly whlie closing the door after Rory climbed to her seat in the back. "But I left everything on and unlocked, can you-"

"No, problem; don't' you worry about a thing. Call us when you get there!"

"I will. Thanks, Babette."

_XOX_

_Diner_

It was late. Luke was on his way to the door to flick the light switch off and flip the open sign to closed when he saw Babette coming up the stairs.

"Oh, hey Babette. I was just about to close up," the man said tiredly.

"Luke, I gotta tell you something," the woman said seriously after walking through the door. "Or I don't know, maybe I don't gotta. I mean I know you and Lorelai were fightin' earlier, and I know you're not with her anymore, but I think you should know. Rory's in the hospital."

Luke's eyes widened. "What? What happened? he fired quickly.

"I don't know everything, but I know Lane's there too. I think Lorelai said they had some bad chicken. But, Lorelai, the poor doll, she wouldn't let me go with her, but I can't imagine she's holding up too well right now, and she-"

"What hospital?" Luke demanded.

_XOX_

_Hartford Memorial_

"But she'll be okay? I mean this is nothing life threatening, right? I just, every once in a blue moon, I hear about people who die from salmonella and Rory, she just-"

"Miss Gilmore, I assure you, you're daughter will be okay," the young doctor said through a smile. "She's in good health, she's not an infant and she doesn't live in a senor center," he joked, trying to lighten the mood, "She'll be just fine."

Lorelai smiled just a bit. "Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry if, you know, I'm being crazy. I'm just worried. This never happened to us before."

"It's perfectly okay," the doctor brushed off. "Now, we've gotten Rory's fever down, and that's great. She's all set with an I.V, which is helping to rehydrate her, but she is still vomiting. It's nothing to worry about though. The bad food is just trying to work its way out of her system and as long as it isn't excessive, it's okay."

Lorelai nodded while taking in the information.

The doctor smiled while patting her shoulder. "She's lying down right now and she looks pretty tired, so you might want to go in there and say good night to her before she falls asleep. Just to make sure everything's okay, we're going to keep her overnight."

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome," the doctor said through a smile before turning down the hall.

Once he was gone, Lorelai took a breath while tucking her hair behind her shoulder. She was about to reach for the door handle when a voice stopped her. The Gilmore turned around to find Luke hurrying down the hall.

"Hey," she said, the surprise at seeing him clear in her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Babette," he explained shortly after stopping in front of her. "Where is she? What happened? Is she okay?"

Lorelai smiled a bit at his frenzied state. "Food poisoning. Mrs. Kim must have been off her game today. She thinks she undercooked some chicken the girls ate. Lane's here too. They're both in there," Lorelai explained while pointing to the door behind her, "which is good. They aren't too happy to be here, but at least they're together."

Luke nodded in agreement while taking a second to catch his breath.

"I was just gonna go in and say goodnight. You can come in too if you want. Rory would be happy to see you."

"Oh, uh, yeah sure," Luke said uncomfortably.

"You don't' have to if you don't want to."

"No, no, I want to, I just… I'm not too good with hospitals," he admitted gruffly.

"Ah," Lorelai realized in understanding. "We'll, well be quick then."

Luke nodded as she led the way.

When Lorelai opened the door, her eyes immediately went to the closest bed where her daughter was lying.

"She's already asleep," Lorelai said through a frown, her voice low.

"How she's doing?" Luke asked while pointing to next bed where Lane was also sleeping.

"Okay. No more fever I don't think, and she wasn't as dehydrated as Rory, but they still have her hooked up just incase."

Luke nodded.

"Where's Mrs. Kim?"

"Making some calls I think," Lorelai explained while running her fingers through Rory's hair.

"You know she'll be okay, right?" Luke said, his voice rough. "She's tough, like her mom. I'm sure she'll wake up tomorrow ready to choke down a full plate of pancakes and sausage."

"And a hash brown; don't forget about the hash brown," Lorelai said, her voice soft as her eyes remained on Rory.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "She'll be okay," he said firmly.

Lorelai peaked over her shoulder to smile at him. "Thank you," she whispered.

Luke nodded.

Lorelai turned back to leave a kiss to her daughter's cheek. After pulling the blanket up a bit, she turned to Luke with a sigh.

"We should-"

"Yeah, lets let them sleep," he said while moving to the door.

When they reached the hall, Lorelai walked across it to the waiting room where she plopped down on a chair.

Luke didn't need to ask if she was okay; he could see that she wasn't.

"Why don't you let me get you something to eat," the man suggested while standing next to her.

Lorelai shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"But you didn't eat much today and I'm guessin' you didn't have time to eat when you got home."

Lorelai looked up and said, "How do you know I didn't eat much today?"

Luke shrugged. "I just know."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Were you watching me?"

"You were watching me too," he defended.

Lorelai sighed. "Fine, let's go eat."

_XOX_

"At least the Jello's good," Lorelai said after scooping another spoonful.

Luke nodded as they walked down the quiet hall.

"And one more," Lorelai announced before swirling her spoon along the bottom of the tiny carton.

Luke looked up and a small smile cracked his lips when he saw her getting every last bit of Jello.

"Done?"

"Yup," Lorelai said through a nod. "Now if only I could find a trashcan."

They walked along for another second or two before Luke said, "in here," while pointing to an open room.

"Oh, good," Lorelai said while moving past him to hurry into the dark room, the only light coming from the playing T.V.

Luke wondered in behind her while she ducked into the bathroom to get rid of the garbage in her hand. When she came back out, she found Luke sitting on the edge of the empty, made up bed.

"Anything good on?"

Luke shrugged. "Something stupid, probably."

Lorelai rounded the bed to sit down next to him and a smile took her face when she saw one of her favorite movies playing.

"I can't believe you don't like this. It's a classic."

"Never seen it."

"Really?" Lorelai asked while scrunching her nose at him. "I didn't make you watch 'The Way We Were?'"

Luke shook his head and said, "I don't think so."

"Huh. Weird."

The two sat in silence for a minute, both watching T.V but one paying way more attention then the other.

"Hey, Lorelai?" Luke called quietly.

"Yeah?" she asked while turning to look at him.

"I'm sorry. You know, about earlier."

Lorelai nodded while her eyes went to her lap.

"I didn't mean what I said," he went on further. "You know about Chris and Rory. He's her dad; of course he loves her."

"Yeah, he does," Lorelai defended, though her voice was soft. "But he can be a jerk. A lot."

Luke nodded in agreement.

A silent moment or so went by before Luke said, "and you know, I know you wouldn't just, with Chris, I know you wouldn't," he stammered before giving up through a sigh. "You told me a while ago that you weren't interested in him and I know that you're not. That crap I said at your house, I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely.

Lorelai shifted her gaze to his. "And what if I did?"

"What?"

Lorelai turned so her legs weren't hanging off the mattress, but instead where crossed over the bed. "What if I did like Chris? Or anyone really. What would it matter to you?" she challenged.

"It would matter," Luke said roughly.

"Why?"

"You know why," he nearly growled.

"No, I don't," she answered stubbornly.

"It just would, okay?" he said impatiently.

"We're not together anymore, Luke. It shouldn't matter to you."

"Well, it does."

"Why, Luke? Why does it matter?" she pressed.

"Because it matters," he said defensively.

"It shouldn't."

"Damn it, Lorelai, " Luke cursed in frustration while getting to his feet.

Luke put his hands to his ball cap, adjusting the bill while turning in a circle until he faced Lorelai again. "I don't want you with him. Or anyone else," he said firmly. "Especially that Derek guy. There's something weird about him; I don't trust him."

"So, what, now you're telling me I can't see Derek?" she asked while standing as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yup."

"You can't do that. You can't tell me what to do."

"I'm telling you what _not_ to do."

"And there's a difference?" she challenged through raised brows.

Luke nodded.

"This is ridiculous. Derek's my friend, okay? I'm gonna see him if I want to see him," she said while turning for the door, but Luke reached for her arm to stop her.

"Let go of me," she said firmly.

"I'm serious, Lorelai, I don't want you seeing him. You think I have a bad temper? I've heard things about him, okay? I don't want you near him. I don't want you getting hurt. And don't give me this crap that we're not together anymore. I still care about you. I always will. I'll always-" he was about to say something else, but he stopped through wide eyes before the words could reach his lips.

Lorelai looked at the man through furrowed brows. "You'll always what?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," he denied quickly.

"Tell me," she pressed gently.

He just shook his head while turning away from her. "We should check on Rory."

"Hey, whoa, no way, you're not getting away from me that easily," Lorelai said while grabbing his arm before he could escape.

Luke sighed while she circled in front of him.

"Say what you were gonna say."

"Lorelai-"

"Please, Luke," she begged. "Just say it."

Their locked stare held for a moment before Luke broke away to find the tiled floor.

"Luke," Lorelai whispered.

"Fine. You want me to say it? Fine. I love you. I love you and I always will. There, ya happy?"

Lorelai smiled. "I love you too. And I'm pretty sure I always will," she said softly.

That was all he needed to hear. When he looked up from the floor, not only did his eyes find hers, but his lips did too. Little by little, clothes were removed and their bodies soon stumbled upon the mattress. Luke and Lorelai did a good job of rumpling the sheets of the once made bed as together, they did something they hadn't done in over a month. They did something that couples do. They did something that people who are in love do. They did something that would change their rocky friendship. They did something they both missed doing from the moment they parted.

On that cool spring night, in an empty Hartford hospital room, Luke and Lorelai made love again.

**TBC…**

**Review? Please and Thank you!**


	42. Wake Up Call Answered

If I could come up with another way to say thanks for all the lovely reviews, I would, but I can't, so I'll just say thank you! You're all awesome!

Oh, and a little warning. There's a small, **M-rated** scene in here, but it's easy to skip over if you don't want to read it.

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 42: Wake Up Call Answered**

_Next Morning_

_Independence Inn_

"You did what?" Sookie exclaimed as a large wooden spoon flew from her hand.

"I slept with Luke."

"You slept with Luke, as in-"

"As in we rolled around naked together in a hospital bed. I had sex with Luke, Sookie," Lorelai explained impatiently.

"Oh my God, you slept with Luke!" the chef started to gasp before her face turned to a wince. "Wait, in a hospital?"

"Oh, right, you don't know what happened."

"What happened?"

After filling her best friend in on the salmonella incident, Sookie answered with a sympathetic smile.

"And Luke came running."

Lorelai nodded while a smile took her face. "I think if it concerns Rory, he'll always come running, no matter what's going on between us."

"If it concerns you or Rory," Sookie corrected.

"Maybe," Lorelai answered through a shrug. "Anyway, I just- I still can't believe it."

The biggest grin popped on Sookie's face as she slid onto the stool next to Lorelai's.

"How was it?" the chef whispered.

Lorelai rolled her eyes through a smirking smile. "Every ounce of skill that was there before is still there now."

Sookie clapped excitedly. "So, what does this mean? It means you're together, right? You're back together. It has to mean you're back together."

Lorelai sighed while reaching to pop a cherry tomato into her mouth. "I don't know."

"You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?" Sookie demanded. "He didn't say he wanted to get back together?"

"No. We didn't really say much of anything. We were so caught up in the heat of everything and then, you know, we rushed outta there when we thought we heard someone coming and that was that. He went home and I went to Rory."

"Home? Why home? Why did Luke go home?"

"Because I told him to go. I knew he had early deliveries the next morning and there was no use in both of us getting a crappy night's sleep."

"I bet he would have stayed," Sookie wagered while hopping to her feet. "Did he seem like he wanted to stay?"

Lorelai shrugged while spinning in her chair to follow Sookie's path. "Maybe. I don't know. I didn't really give him much of a choice."

"So you didn't talk about anything?" Sookie asked while peaking over her shoulder as her hands were busy chopping up lettuce. "You just did the dirty then went your separate ways?"

"I didn't know what to say, Sookie," Lorelai explained helplessly. "I didn't want it to be that way. I didn't wake up yesterday morning planning on having string- less sex with Luke. That's the last thing I want it to be. But you know, I didn't want to break up either, and that happened. This is what it is."

"But you seemed so happy about it," Sookie argued softly.

Lorelai nodded while leaning back against the counter. "It was great to be with him again, and I'm not just talking about the sex. To just be with him, next to him, skin on skin, it was… I miss that. I miss just being with him, you know? I'm happy that we're friends again, but I really miss being close to him. We just fit together so well. It's hard to let go of that."

Sookie nodded in understanding. "I still think maybe he wants more than that. Luke's not the kind of guy to just sleep with someone without wanting something serious out of it."

"He did tell me he loved me," Lorelai added thoughtfully.

"He said the L word?" Sookie gasped through wide eyes.

Lorelai nodded. "We were arguing and he said something about Derek having a really bad tempter and that he didn't want me around him. He said he still cares about me and that he'll always love me."

Sookie spun around. "What are still doing here? Go! Go! Talk to him! He wants to be with you!"

"Maybe, but-"

"No, no buts," Sookie refused while taking Lorelai's arm and pulling her towards the door. "You have to go now. You'll never get back together if you don't talk to him."

"Wait, I can't just-"

"Yes, you can."

"You don't even know what I was gonna say."

"Doesn't matter. Go. I bet he's at the diner, waiting and wondering why you aren't there. I'll bet anything that he wants to fix things, that he's ready for a fresh start."

"But what if-"

"No what if; go!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going."

_Diner_

Lorelai drove up to Dooses market, and then put her jeep in park. She grabbed her keys from the ignition, slid her purse to her shoulder, and then hopped from the car.

"I can do this, I can talk to him," Lorelai whispered to herself while walking down the street. "Worst is, he just wants to keep being friends, and that's okay; I can deal with that," she assured herself.

Lorelai took the rest of the block quickly and when she arrived at the diner, she stopped just outside the door to take a breath. After filling her lungs with fresh oxygen, she mentally counted to three, then reached for the door.

The place was packed. Lorelai frowned at the full house while her eyes went to the clock. It was a quarter after 8. She bit on her bottom lip at the time when seeing that the crowd was keeping Luke too busy to talk.

"Later," Lorelai whispered to herself while turning for the door, but before she could get there, a voice stopped her.

"Hey, thought I'd see you earlier," Luke said while coming up to her.

Before Lorelai could answer, Luke hooked an arm around her back and quickly pecked a kiss to her lips.

"Grab a seat at the counter; I'll get you coffee."

Lorelai watched through wide, confused eyes as Luke navigated his way between seats and tables to delivery a plate to a woman sitting alone by the window.

"What the hell was that?" she asked herself, the words quiet.

"Excuse me, young lady."

Lorelai looked behind her to find an older man trying to get through. She was blocking the door.

"Oh, sorry," the Gilmore apologized while hurrying to the counter to grab the only available stool in front of the cash register.

"Rory doing okay?"

Lorelai just managed to put her purse on the counter top when Luke popped up in front of her.

"Yeah, good, she's good," Lorelai answered automatically.

"And you?" he asked while pouring her some coffee.

"Also good," she said while holding the cup steady. "I think, anyway… are you okay?"

"I'm great," he answered happily.

"Great? You're great?" Lorelai questioned.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" he said through a shrug. "You want more juice, Kirk?" Luke asked while grabbing his empty cup. "Refills are on the house today."

"Really?" Kirk asked, surprised.

Lorelai turned to look at the man sitting next to her with just as much surprise in her eyes as there was in his.

"Yup," Luke answered with a smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Wonder if 2 refills are free."

"I don't know," Lorelai murmured thoughtfully with her eyes on the kitchen.

_XOX_

The time was approaching 9 and most had cleared from the diner to start their workdays. Even Kirk left to start his shift at the flower store. The only customer left was Lorelai who sat in her usual stool with her mind somewhere else as she slowly chewed on a piece of bacon.

"Can't believe you haven't finished yet."

"What?" Lorelai asked while blinking away her thoughts.

Luke pointed to her nearly full plate while he worked a rag along the counter. "Something wrong?"

"No," she answered quickly.

Luke stopped to look at her carefully. "You don't seem okay."

"I'm fine, I just-" Lorelai stopped to sigh.

"You just what?"

"I-"

Before the Gilmore could say another word, her cell rang.

"Out," Luke said while pointing to the door.

Lorelai didn't argue as she slid from her stool. As soon as she stepped foot outside, she pressed the phone to her ear.

"Sookie, I can't ta… okay, yeah, tell her I'm on my way… Yeah, well I think I was freaking out over nothing because I'm pretty sure we're back together… yeah, I'll explain later… okay, bye."

After hanging up, Lorelai blew out a breath, and then turned back to the diner.

"I have to go," Lorelai called into the empty room while grabbing her purse from the counter to get some money.

"You coming back later?" Luke called from the storeroom.

"Um, yeah, probably," she answered while dropping money to the counter.

"Okay! I'll save you some pie!"

"Yeah, thanks," Lorelai murmured through furrowed brows while hurrying to the door.

The Gilmore stopped just outside the diner to fish her keys from her purse. After finding them and taking two steps towards her car, a hand grabbed her arm to stop her.

_Kim's Antiques_

"Don't you feel weird doing this?" Rory asked while Lane got her telescope from her closet. "It's like we're spying on people."

"We're not spying, we're watching," Lane corrected through a shrug while hopping to her window to get the telescope in place. "Besides, there's nothing else we can do. Mama has us locked up here all day," she reasoned.

"Yeah," Rory agreed. "At least we get to hang out though."

"Yeah, I'm glad Mama said you could stay here. I think she feels bad that you got sick."

Rory shrugged. "I think I'm better."

"Yeah, me too."

"So, anything good out there?"

"Let's see," Lane started while putting her eye to the lens. "No, no, no," she murmured while moving the telescope along the square. "Nothing- oh wait, there's your mom."

"Where?" Rory asked

"In front of Luke's. They're talking. I need to learn how to read lips."

"You should look for Kirk. Wasn't it funny when he tripped over his own shoe last week?"

"Oh my God, he put his hands on her."

"What?"

"Luke. He has his hands on your mom."

"Lemme see," Rory demanded and Lane quickly moved out of the way.

_XOX_

"How 'bout I take you out on Friday, you and Rory," Luke said with his hands on her hips, his thumbs swaying back and forth across her jeans.

"You want to take me out? Like a date?" she questioned carefully.

Luke shrugged. "Not really a date, Rory will be there. But this weekend? Saturday?" he asked hopefully.

Lorelai nodded while a smile spread across her face. "Okay."

"Okay," Luke agreed before leaning in to kiss her and this time Lorelai saw it coming. She closed her eyes, pursed her lips and melted the very second Luke's lips touched hers.

When Luke pulled away a moment later, Lorelai sighed through closed eyes.

Luke smiled further before leaving a kiss to her forehead. When he leaned back, he was happy to find her blue eyes looking his way.

"I have to get to the Inn," she said through a frown.

Luke nodded in understanding. "Come by later," he demanded, his voice gruff.

Lorelai smiled. "I told you I would."

"You said probably."

"Well, change the probably to a definitely. I'll stop by on my lunch break."

"Good," Luke said through a nod.

"But now I have to go."

Luke nodded.

Lorelai grinned. "This is the part where you let go of me."

"What?"

"Your hands, my hips- release please," she requested nicely.

"Oh, sorry," Luke apologized while quickly yanking his hands back.

"Don't be. If I could keep them there, I would, but unfortunately I can't. Being attached at the hip all day would earn us some funny looks."

"Not in this town," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai smiled. "Bye," she said before kissing his scruffy cheek, then turning to walk away.

Luke couldn't keep his eyes from watching her leave if he tried.

_XOX_

"Oh my God," Rory murmured. "They kissed."

"They kissed?" Lane questioned.

Rory nodded while turning away from the telescope.

"That's good, right?" Lane asked carefully at the look of shock on her friend's face.

"Are you kidding? That's great!" Rory exclaimed. "They're back together!"

"They're back together!" Lane cheered.

"I feel like jumping up and down or something."

"Then let's jump," Lane said through a shrug while climbing up on her bed.

"But your mom."

"She won't hear us. She's at Dooses, remember? Come on, let's celebrate. They're back together!"

Rory smiled while joining Lane and together they jumped up and down like five year olds while shouting 'they back together!' over and over again.

Meanwhile, at the magazine stand, Babette was picking up the newspaper for Morey when she turned to pay Bootsy, and caught sight of Luke and Lorelai.

"Holy cow!" the woman exclaimed when the pair kissed. "Look at 'em goin' at it! Where's Patty! Patty!"

"Hey, you didn't pay for that!" Bootsy shouted after her.

But Babette was already halfway down the block with her eyes set on the dance studio.

_XOX_

"Yes, I know being assistant manager doesn't give me the right to disappear whenever I feel like it. I'm sorry, Lisa… yeah, no, I'm glad she's not around… I'm on my way back. I just, I had a thing, and, anyway, I'm on my way back… okay, yeah… bye."

Lorelai sighed while hanging up her cell phone, and then slipping it back to her purse. After adjusting the strap on her shoulder, she kicked up the pace a notch while hurrying into Dooses. She needed to make a quick stop for a few things, one item on her list being soup for Rory.

"I can't believe this is happening," Lorelai heard a panicked voice say as she approached aisle 2.

"I'm 16, I can't be pregnant. My mom is gonna kill me."

"Your mom? What about your dad? He's the hard ass."

Lorelai rounded the corner to see two teenage girls huddled in front of the pregnancy tests.

"It was just one night, ugh. One day I forget to take the pill and I could end up paying for that one night for the rest of my life."

"I'm sure you're not pregnant."

"How do you know? I should have gotten my period 3 days ago."

"Maybe you're just late."

"I'm never late."

"Well, there's a first time for everything, right?"

"Yeah, like being pregnant," the teen said through a sigh while swiping a box from the shelf. "Come on, let's go."

Lorelai watched the girls go from the corner of her eye before turning back to the task at hand. She needed razors.

"Boy, don't I know that feeling," Lorelai muttered.

After picking out the kind she always bought, Lorelai went on to head for another aisle.

"I wasn't even planning on sleeping with him," the teen with the pregnancy test said from where she stood on line. "We were broken up for so long and I thought we were done. But then, I don't know, we were alone and I was upset and we got caught up in the heat of the moment."

Lorelai stopped. What the girl was saying to her friend, it rang a bell in Lorelai's head. It triggered something.

"_We were so caught up in the heat of everything… I slept with Luke… Every ounce of skill that was there before is still there now_ … _next to him_, _skin on skin… we were so caught up in the heat of everything… I had sex with Luke."_

Her eyes went to the pregnancy test in the girl's hand.

_Luke found her lips, taking them in a heated kiss while his hand slid across her belly until he found her covered breast. _

"_Stop me, Lorelai," he warned, his voice rough as he kneaded her soft breast, his fingers pinching her hardening nipple. _

"_Don't stop, go more," Lorelai argued while holding his hand to her breast. _

_Luke attacked her skin, trailing demanding kisses down her neck and along her collar bone until he found her breast. _

_When Lorelai felt his lips circle her nipple, she arched into his mouth while squeezing his hand around her other breast. _

"_Stop me now," Luke demanded gruffly while rubbing over her covered sex. _

_Lorelai shook her head while cupping his ass and pulling him closer. _

"_Need you." _

And all rational thought was lost from there.

"Oh no," Lorelai gasped as the razors fell from her hand.

_The Inn_

"I'm sorry, Lisa, it won't happen again."

"I don't want to be a bitch about this, Lorelai, but it seems like every time I turn around you're gone. I'm okay with you hanging out in the kitchen when it's not busy, but you can't just leave when you feel like it. I'll let this go if you promise no more disappearing acts."

"Yeah, no more," Lorelai promised quickly.

"I know Mia thinks you're one of the best here, and I know you're a hard, dedicated worker, but if you keep leaving without a word, I'm going to have to say something to her."

"_Are we five?"_ Lorelai thought. But nonetheless, she spread a smile. "Lisa, I swear, no more."

"It's like ever since you became assistant manager, you think you have free reign. You don't. I know we're not really friends outside of work, but we get along here and I don't' want to ruin that, but if I have to come down harder on you, I will."

"Lisa, please, listen to me, I get it. Im here, all the time. I don't leave the premises unless you give the okay."

Lisa smiled. "Okay. Good."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "And since no one's here, I'm gonna grab some coffee in the kitchen, but I will be right in there if you need me," she said while backing to the door.

Once Lorelai entered the kitchen, she sighed while dragging her body to a stool.

"Oh, you're back!" Sookie exclaimed, her tone hushed as Eddy was in the room, stirring a pot of sauce. "So you're back together? What happened? What'd he say? What'd you say? Did you kiss him? Did he kiss you? When are you going out?"

"I might be pregnant."

Sookie's eyes widened. "What? You're what?"

Lorelai shook her head as her face fell to her hands.

_TBC…_

**Review? I would greatly appreciate it if you would! Thanks for reading!**

_And __**Sarahb2007**_**, **_I want to say thank you for inspiring the plot twist that I had no idea was there but was starring me right in the face. :D_


	43. Crash, Boom, Slam

Thank you, kind readers for the lovely reviews on the previous chapter. Much, much appreciated, :D.

And here we go. Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 43: Crash, Boom, Slam**

"Oh, you're back!" Sookie exclaimed, her tone hushed as Eddy was in the room, stirring a pot of sauce. "So you're back together? What happened? What'd he say? What'd you say? Did you kiss him? Did he kiss you? When are you going out?"

"I might be pregnant."

Sookie's eyes widened. "What? You're what?"

Lorelai shook her head as her face fell to her hands.

"How can you- I thought you were on the-"

"I was, but I stopped after Luke and I split."

"Why? Why not just stay on it?"

"I don't know," Lorelai cried helplessly while looking up at Sookie. "I just- I had no reason to be on the pill until I was with him. Pms was never a big issue. I didn't need it until I was active. When I wasn't active anymore, I stopped."

"And last night you were active," Sookie finished sadly.

Lorelai nodded through a frown.

"Well, okay, okay, let's not panic yet; I mean what are the odds, right?" Sookie rationalized.

"It only took one shot for me to get pregnant with Rory, Sookie."

"Yes, but look at that as a fluke. You just happened to get the timing right. The odds that you hit the bulls eye again are slim to none, right?"

"Maybe," Lorelai murmured doubtfully.

"I wouldn't worry yet," Sookie said through a reassuring smile. "Wait a few weeks, then take the test. I bet you're not pregnant, you'll see. Then this'll just be a funny story you can tell at Christmas time."

"But what if I am, Sookie? What if I'm pregnant with Luke's baby?"

The chef just frowned. She wished she had an answer, but she didn't.

_XOX_

The workweek had come and gone. It was Friday, June 4th when Lorelai was standing in front of the bathroom mirror spreading a coat of clear, shiny gloss around her lips. Once she was satisfied with the amount applied, she tossed the slim bottle back to her purse, and then grabbed the calendar and pen that rested on the toilet seat. With the items in hand and her brows furrowed, Lorelai plopped down on the edge of the bathtub. With her teeth, she pulled the cap from the pen, then put a big black X through June 3rd's box.

"Two more weeks," Lorelai murmured through a sigh with her eyes on June 18th.

The day Lorelai realized she could be pregnant, she came up with a plan. First, avoid Luke as much as possible without being too obvious about it. She didn't want to be around him too much because she felt guilty about hiding her secret. At the same time, she knew telling him was a bad idea. Her mind ran wild with his possible reactions. She knew he would freak out. Word on the street was that Luke wasn't a big baby guy. He wasn't really into kids either. He and Rory cooking in the diner sure painted a nice picture and really contradicted that whole Luke hates kids thing, but Rory was special, and Lorelai knew that. Luke with a baby? Lorelai couldn't see it. So she popped into the diner here and there, making her visits short and using work as an excuse to stay busy.

The second part of her plan was to wait for June 18th. If mother nature was a no show, then come June 19th she would run to Woodbridge, get a pregnancy test, then wait for the results, all the while with her fingers crossed and her thoughts begging for God to make the test come out negative.

Lorelai was never late. So she knew if June 18th came and went without a drop of blood in sight, she was in trouble. Big trouble.

"Mom! Luke's here!"

"Coming!"

Quickly, Lorelai swiped her purse from the sink before running across the hall to her room. She dumped the pen and calendar on the bed, grabbed her shoes from the floor, and then darted for the stairs.

"Hey," she said through a breathless smile when she spotted Luke in the living room.

The man's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of her. While he stood from the couch, his smiled widened at the short skirt just above her knees, and the blue v-neck blouse she wore.

"Which ones?" Lorelai asked from the stairs while holding up a pair of tall black boots in one hand, and flip flops in the other.

Sure the season was summer, but weather never influenced Lorelai's fashion choices.

Luke's first reaction was to pick the boots, but a light blub went off in his head and he pointed to the sandals instead.

"Really?" Lorelai asked in surprised. She figured he'd go for the boots.

The man nodded while peaking to the hall. When he found that Rory had disappeared to her room, he turned back to Lorelai with a large grin.

"More leg," he said with a tilt of his chin at the shoes he chose.

"Ah, gotcha. Lemme just run these up, then we can go."

Luke nodded. "I'll get Rory."

While Lorelai went up, Luke walked the short distance to the youngest Gilmore's bedroom. The door was open, but he stopped to give a light knock anyway..

Rory looked up from the book in her lap to smile at Luke.

"Hey. You look nice."

"Oh, thanks," he said through a shrug after peaking down at his shirt. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Rory said while slipping a bookmark between two pages.

Luke gave a nod and a smile before turning to the hall.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?" he asked while turning around.

"Are you sure you want me to go with you and mom?"

"You don't want to come?" he asked confusedly.

"Isn't this your back-together date? I understand if you want to be alone. I can stay home."

Luke shook his head. "We show up there without you and I'll never hear the end of it from Maisy."

"Oh, well I don't want you to get yelled at. I'd better go with you," Rory said through a firm nod while hopping from her bed.

"Whenever you're ready," Luke said through a grin.

_Sniffy's Tavern_

"So Buddy's out of town?" Lorelai asked as they walked into the restaurant.

Luke nodded while holding the door open for the girls. "His turn to visit their grandson in Chicago."

"Right, right, they don't go away together."

"Why not?" Rory asked.

"Cause then they'd have to close this place up for a while. And they won't," Luke explained.

"Not even for a day?"

"Nope," Luke confirmed.

"But what if they're sick?"

"They'll keep working till death stops 'em," Luke's gruff voice explained.

"So they're always open? 7 days a week?" the young Gilmore asked.

"15 hours a day, 7 days a week."

"Wow," Rory awed.

Lorelai smiled as she felt Luke's fingers twining through hers. She looked down at their joint hands to give Luke's a squeeze before looking up to find Maisy heading their way.

"So you finally did it, huh?" the older woman asked with a grin. "You quit bein' stupid and you got the girl back."

Luke sighed.

"And the girl is happy to be back. Very happy," Lorelai said through a big smile.

"You even got him to hold your hand," Maisy gushed while reaching to the podium for a few menus. "You know the boy was a wreck without you," she said to Lorelai while leading them to their usual booth. "Every week he'd come in here alone and do nothing but sulk over his chicken for 45 minutes."

"Aw, don't tell her that," Luke groaned.

"Trust me, you weren't the only one sulking while we were apart," Lorelai assured him as they slid into the booth.

Maisy smiled while putting the last menu on the table in front of Rory. "And you, how's that ankle? Lucas told me you had a bad fall."

"Oh, it's doing better," Rory reported. "I don't need the crutches anymore."

"So you can walk?"

"Better than the tin man," Lorelai threw in.

"And if you can walk, you can stand?"

Rory nodded.

"And your arms, they work, right?"

Again, Rory nodded.

When Maisy smiled further, the young Gilmore finally caught on.

"I'm sorry," Rory apologized while getting to her feet to hug Maisy.

"It's been a while, so I'll let it slide, but if it happens again-"

"I don't get desert," Rory finished while pulling away.

"That's right," Maisy said through a nod before turning to Lorelai. "She's got one hell of a memory."

"Don't know how or why, she just came out that way," Lorelai explained while tossing her hands up.

_XOX_

"Mommy," Rory groaned while leaning back against the seat with her hand to her belly.

"Too much pot roast?" Lorelai asked through a frown.

Rory nodded.

Lorelai patted the spot next to her and quickly Rory cuddled close her mom's side. Once Rory was settled, Lorelai wrapped her arm around the girl's back, kissed her forehead, then looked up to give Luke a small smile.

"She eat too much again?" Maisy asked while popping up at their table.

Lorelai nodded. "Your food is just too good, right baby?"

Rory nodded with a sad, tired look on her face.

"No desert tonight," Luke warned.

"What? No? I want cheesecake," Rory argued weakly while looking from Luke to Maisy, her stare begging for the desert.

"Oh, cheesecake," Lorelai agreed through wide eyes.

"Sorry, Lucas," Maisy apologized through a grin. "Two to one."

The man sighed in defeat.

_XOX_

They were in the car. Luke was driving. Rory was in the back sleeping. Lorelai had a giant piece of cheesecake sitting in her lap. Luke was eating something else, something less sweet, something healthy. His right hand steered the wheel while his left guided an apple to and from his mouth. And even with a sinfully tasty treat within reach, Lorelai couldn't keep her eyes from the apple in Luke's hand. She craved it. She wanted it. And with that overwhelming desire for some fruit came a wave of panic.

Lorelai closed her eyes while taking a breath.

Luke peaked at the girl next to him. "You okay?"

"What? Yes, I'm fine," Lorelai answered quickly.

Luke's brows furrowed. "Something wrong?"

"Just tired," Lorelai waved off.

"You barely touched your cake," he said with a jerk of his chin at her lap.

"Not hungry," Lorelai answered while avoiding his gaze. While avoiding the apple in his hand. While avoiding the questions in his eyes.

"You're always hungry."

"Not _always_," Lorleai argued defensively. "It's not like I'm a 1000 pound cow; I don't eat _all_ the time."

"I know you're not," Luke said confusedly while turning onto her block.

10 seconds of silence went by before Luke was pulling up her drive. After putting the car in park, he turned to Lorelai with a frown.

"If something's wrong, you can tell me."

"I know," Lorelai said while undoing her buckle. "Nothing's wrong. Night," she said while reaching for the door.

Luke reached for her arm to stop her. "Wait a second."

"What?" Lorelai asked impatiently.

"What happened between here and dinner? You were fine earlier. Did I do something?"

Lorelai sighed while turning to fully face him. "I'm sorry. You didn't do anything," she assured him, though doubt remained on his face. "Really, I'm just tired, that's all. I'll be better tomorrow," she promised.

Luke nodded while releasing her wrist. "You sure that's all?"

Lorelai plastered a reassuring smile on her face. "I'm sure."

"Okay," Luke said while trying to hide the doubt in his voice. "I'll bring Rory in."

Lorelai hopped from the car to lead the way to the door while Luke opened the back seat to scoop up the sleeping Gilmore.

While Lorelai was digging through her purse for her keys, she heard a familiar sound coming around the bend. As it got closer and closer, the sound got louder and louder. Finally, the noise caught Luke's attention and when he turned, he found a motorcycle zooming down the street.

Lorelai looked over her shoulder, though she didn't want to; she didn't want her suspicions confirmed. But regardless of what she wanted, there was Christopher riding on the back of a Harley in all his glory.

_XOX_

"I'm sorry!" Lorelai apologized through a loud whisper.

Luke shook his head while walking towards the front door. When he reached the porch, he turned to Lorelai and said, "why didn't you tell me he was coming?"

"Because I didn't think he'd actually show up. He never has before. This is the first time he's ever been here."

"But he told you he was coming, right?"

"Yes, but, Luke, trust me, if there was any part of me that believed he'd follow through with his word for once, I would have warned you. But I just- I didn't expect him to come."

"Well, he came," Luke said while crossing his arms over his chest. "Jerk," he murmured.

"Luke," Lorelai warned.

"Sorry," he muttered stubbornly.

Lorelai reached her his hands, but Luke shook his head while wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her to his chest.

Lorelai closed her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips as she pressed her cheek to his flannel.

"Go home, okay," she said a moment later, her voice just above a whisper. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"What? No way," Luke refused after pulling away just enough to find her eyes.

"Luke, please," she begged. "You know what'll happen if you go in there, and I can't have that. You need to go."

Luke sighed, though he kept his determined gaze locked on her blue eyes.

"I don't want there to be a fight. I'm not in the mood to play referee. And I can't have Rory seeing all that," Lorelai explained while cupping his scruffy cheek in her hand, her thumb swaying back and forth over his stubble. "I'll deal with him, but I really need you to go."

Luke searched her eyes for a moment before giving in. "Fine, I'll go, but I swear Lorelai, if he's here to cause trouble-"

"He won't. I'll handle it."

Luke nodded while his stare moved to the house.

"Babe?"

"I'm goin'," Luke said gruffly.

"We'll see you in the morning?"

Luke nodded before tearing his gaze from Rory's window to find Lorelai looking at him through pleading eyes.

Luke tucked her dark curls behind her ears before leaving a promising kiss to her lips. "Tomorrow."

Lorelai nodded. "Night, Luke."

"Night," Luke returned before dragging his feet down the porch and to his truck.

After watching him go, Lorelai sighed while reaching for the door.

_XOX_

"I know I said I'd be here this morning, but traffic out there is insane. I didn't think I'd make it 'till tomorrow."

"It's okay," Rory brushed off.

Chris smiled. "So how's that ankle?"

"A lot better."

"I sprained my ankle in high school too," Lorelai heard Christopher's voice say as she approached Rory's room.

"Really?" the girl asked excitedly. "What happened?"

"Someone was holding their lacrosse stick too low during a game. I tripped right over it and that was it for the rest of the season."

"You had to miss the rest of the season?" Rory asked through a frown, one that Lorelai caught sight of as she crept up to the open doorway.

Chris shrugged. "There was only a week left," he said through a grin. "And we sucked, so I didn't miss anything. You know, there was one year we only won 3 games."

Rory frowned. "Mom said you were good."

"Really?" Chris asked in surprise. "She must've been watching someone else all those years."

"She doesn't really know much about sports. I don't either."

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm here. Someone's gotta show you how to throw a ball."

"Luke tried once, but I couldn't even catch it in that glove thing so we just gave up."

"You gave up?" Chris asked. "Come on, you can't give up. I'll teach you. We'll practice tomorrow, okay?"

Rory nodded as a big smile grew on her face.

And with that, Lorelai taped her knuckles to the door.

"Knock, knock."

Both heads turned to Lorelai.

"Oh, hey. I was just tucking her in."

"Then I guess it's my turn. Why don't you go wait inside."

Chris nodded before turning to Rory to say, "Night, kid. I'll see you in the morning, okay? And I'm making breakfast for everyone."

Rory wanted to bring up that breakfast time was always spent at Luke's, but she thought better of it and instead nodded in agreement.

Chris smiled further while kissing her cheek then sliding from the edge of the bed to get to his feet.

"See you out there," he said to Lorelai before disappearing from the room.

Once Christopher was gone, Lorelai focused on Rory. "So your dad's here."

The young Gilmore nodded.

Lorelai smiled a bit a she sat down on the edge of the bed. "And you're glad that he's here, right? You're happy that he came?" she asked, wanting to make sure.

"Well, yeah, but what about Luke?"

"What about him?"

"He's not happy about it, is he?" she asked through a frown.

"Sweets, Luke's happy if you're happy."

"No," Rory argued. "I know he doesn't want him here, and I understand why."

"Don't worry about Luke, okay? Just let me worry about him and you focus on your dad. He's only here for the weekend and I want you to make the most of it."

Rory nodded.

"Okay, let's get you comfy for bed," Lorelai said while pulling the covers back.

Rory quickly slipped beneath the blanket, and then put her head to the pillow.

"Night, sweets," Lorelai said before kissing her daughter's cheek.

"Night, mom. Love you."

"Love you too."

Rory gave her mom a smile before closing her eyes and turning on her side.

Lorelai stayed a moment longer but eventually she realized she couldn't hide out in her daughter's room forever. So she stood from the bed, flicked the light switch, then went down the hall to find Christopher lounging on her couch, making himself right at home.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded with her arms crossed over her chest.

"There's nothing on. Why is there never anything on?" he said with his stare on the T.V and the remote in his hand.

"Christopher," Lorelai said impatiently.

"Come sit, help me find something to watch."

Instead of sitting, Lorelai snatched the remote from his hand, turned the T.V off, and then focused on him with a not so happy stare.

"Let's play a game. I start a sentence and you finish it. Got it?"

"Okay, a fill in the blank kinda thing. Shoot."

"Hi, my name's Christopher Hayden. After years of lies and broken promises, I woke up this morning and thought, hmm, I think I'll go to Stars Hollow today. And the reason I suddenly decided to stick by my word is because…"

"This where I jump in?"

"Yes, and do it fast."

Chris sighed while standing from the couch. "I wanted to see Rory."

"Bull."

"Hey, she's my daughter too," Chris argued defensively.

"Check your calendar, Christopher. It's not a Holiday. Why are you here?"

"Why are you back with that jerk?" he returned.

"Oh my God, is that what this is about?" she asked in disgust. "What, if you can't have me, no one can? Seriously?

"This isn't just about you, Lorelai. That guy's trying to swoop in and steal my family, and you're letting him," Chris accused before walking past her towards the kitchen.

"Steal your family?" Lorelai questioned while quickly following him. "What, you think we're a family? 'Cause if you do than your idea of a family is really screwed up."

"We have a kid together, Lorelai. You can't undo that," he said with an index finger pointing in her direction. "You're the mom, I'm the dad, and she's the kid. We're a family."

"We are not a family," Lorelai argued firmly. "Me and Rory, we're a family. Most of the time all you let yourself be is the guy who supplied the sperm. And if you don't think there's times when Rory sees you that way, than you're living in happy, fairy tale land."

"Hey, she knows I'm her father, and she knows I can't be replaced," he warned firmly. "If that guy thinks he can just come around and play daddy to my kid, he's wrong."

"I'm not doing this with you, Chris. You're here, fine, but you'll be here for Rory and only Rory. If you do anything to screw up me and Luke again, I'll swear I'll find a pair of really dull hedge clippers and slice your head off. Just focus on your daughter, and leave me out of it," Lorelai threatened before storming off down the hall.

When he heard a door slam closed on the second floor, Chris grabbed his jacket from the table, swiped his keys from the counter and left.

From her bed, Rory frowned further at the sound of another door slamming, at the sound of her dad leaving.

_TBC…_

**Review? You know you want to, :D. Thanks for reading!**


	44. Heart to Heart, Punch to Punch

This took forever, I know, and its length isn't something to brag about; I suck. I'm sorry. But despite that, hopefully you'll all read and enjoy and leave a review before you go. :D

**Gilmore girls: **

**Chapter 44: Heart to Heart, Punch to Punch**

He didn't want to leave town. He wasn't ready to give up that easily. So he thought he'd find a place to stay the night when he drove past KC's, the attraction distracting him from his destination.

While approaching the bar, his motorcycle slowed to honor the stop sign at the corner. After giving a quick peak to his left, then his right, he gave enough gas to reach the next block. He then parked his bike on the street, lifted his helmet from his head and hurried into the bar while pulling an almost empty pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

_Crapshack_

Lorelai heard the footsteps as she stood by her closet changing for bed. She heard every creak the wooden stairs gave and the light knock at the door when the floor stilled.

"Come in."

While pulling a tank top beneath her belly button, Lorelai turned to watch her door open slowly, inch by inch, like the person on the other side was afraid to come in. A frown took her face when her daughter's sadly curved lips appeared in view.

"You didn't happen to sleep through that whole thing, did you?"

Rory shook her head while holding Colonel Cluckers to her chest.

Lorelai sighed. "Come here, babe," she said while heading for the bed.

Rory's bare feet padded across the floor until she reached her mother's side of the bed. The young Gilmore tossed Colonel Cluckers to the pillow before turning to slide to the mattress.

"You wanna have a sleepover?" Lorelai started after settling next to Rory. "You don't have school tomorrow; perfect time for one. I'll make some popcorn and we can find a really crappy movie to watch. I'll even let you do all the mocking. What do you say?" She asked while tucking Rory's brown locks behind her ear.

The pre-teen nodded mutely while grabbing Colonel Cluckers' feather and sliding the bird to her lap.

Lorelai smiled. "I'll be right back," she promised before kissing her daughter's cheek then hurrying to the first floor.

Like a small child in need of comfort, Rory wrapped her arms around her most memorial belonging, around the only stuffed animal she owned. She held close one of the few items that's been with her since birth as she lowered her head to the pillow next to her mother's.

In the dark room, Rory closed her eyes and hugged Colonel Cluckers beneath her chin while wishing the words, "Please come back," to an unseen star.

_KC's Bar_

Derek was working the late shift, just like he did every Friday night. The hour was just after 10 when he was spreading a rag across the counter with a sour puss on his face and invisible daggers flying from his slightly narrowed eyes. His partial focus was aimed towards the guy sitting at the end of the bar. One of the locals. The diner owner who loved flannel way too much and everyday walked around with that same blue ball cap on his head. The guy who stole the girl he was after.

"Can I have a beer?"

The voice broke Derek's sinister imagination. His thoughts were running wild. He was picturing an hour down the road. The bar would close at 11 and he'd be free to go. So he'd get in his car to head for home. It would be dark, too dark to see much with a broken headlight. Maybe the guy in the flannel would be crossing the street. Maybe he'd be drunk, too drunk to see a car coming. There would be no one around. Most everyone in Stars Hollow would be tucked in by 11:05. He could play it off as an accident. No one would know otherwise.

Just when Derek was picturing the crash, a customer snapped him back to reality.

"What do you want?" Derek barked, annoyed that his fantasy had been cut short.

"Hey, just looking for a beer," Chris said with his hands held up in surrender as he took a seat at the bar.

Without nodding, Derek went for a Corona. With his back turned to the customers, he closed his eyes and took a long, silent breath while mentally reminding himself that his shift was almost through. Soon enough he could go home and have the smoke he was so desperately craving. He could light up the joint that was sitting on his nightstand waiting for him, calling his name.

"Here you go," Derek said while sliding a beer to his newest customer, this time his tone a bit more pleasant.

"Yeah, thanks," Chris accepted through furrowed brows before lifting the bottle to his lips and taking a long sip.

Just before Chris could finish, a series of a loud boos echoed through the room. He turned his attention to the noise and found that the handful of guys who filled the bar all had their eyes glued to the T.V in the high corner. Chris's gaze wondered to the screen to find a ball game on. A replay was flashing across the screen. The Yankees had just scored a grand slam against the Red Sox to take a 10-9 lead.

Chris was one of two who didn't care.

"You into baseball?"

Derek shook his head. "Hate it."

"Me too," Chris agreed before putting the bottle to his lips.

_Crapshack_

"Okay, here we go," Lorelai announced with as much excitement as she could muster up.

Rory tipped her chin to the doorway to find her mother walking through the room with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a box of mallomars in the other.

"Alright, we've got the grub, now all we need is some entertainment," Lorelai announced while plopping down next to her daughter.

After setting the food down on the mattress between them, Lorelai reached to prop a pillow to the headboard behind her. She then put a smile on her face, crossed her legs and reached for the remote.

"Come on, you pick, anything you want," Lorelai said while holding the remote in front of Rory. "I'll even watch Saved by the Bell if it's on this late."

"You pick," Rory's small, quiet voice argued.

Lorelai looked to her left. At her daughter's sad face, she dropped the remote to the bed and moved the snacks to her nightstand. With the food gone, she scootched down while pulling the covers to her waist. Once she was underneath the blanket, she patted the space next to her.

Rory inched closer, leaving her side of the bed to Colonel Cluckers. When she reached Lorelai's pillow, she looked up at her mother through pale blue eyes that were circled with questions.

"He'll come back," Lorelai whispered while brushing her fingers through the girl's brown hair.

Rory did her best to pull a tiny smile.

"Aw, honey," Lorelai sympathized helplessly. "I'm sorry you had to hear all that. But your dad, he just… well, he thinks we're something we're not. And I know you wish we were a traditional family, but-"

"I don't."

"What?"

"I used to want you and dad together, but not anymore."

"No?" Lorelai questioned softly.

Rory shook her head a bit. "You're happy with Luke."

"But are _you_ happy with Luke? Are you happy that I'm with Luke?" Lorelai asked carefully.

Rory nodded.

"Are you sure? Because it's okay; you can tell me the truth. It's okay to want a normal family, to want your parents together."

Rory thought for a moment and at her daughter's pensive face, Lorelai raised her hand, spreading her index finger and thumb a few inches apart.

"Maybe a little?" Lorelai asked.

Rory pushed her mom's fingers closer together so barely an inch of space was left behind them.

"That's it?"

Rory nodded.

"How much was it before Luke?"

Rory spread her arms wide to show the large distance.

"Wow," Lorelai awed. "So, you're really past the idea? You don't wish I was with your dad?"

"No. Luke's here; Dad isn't," Rory reasoned logically.

"Yes, but sweetie, Luke isn't your dad. Chris will always be your dad. No matter what happens between Luke and I, no matter where your dad is, he's still your dad."

"I know, but just because he's my dad doesn't mean you have to be with him. That's what you told me, remember?"

"Yes, that's right, but I just want to make sure you realize that nothing anyone does will ever change who Chris is to you."

"I know."

"And, yes, Luke and I are together now, but if it doesn't last forever-"

"Why wouldn't it last forever?" Rory interrupted. "You're in love with Luke, right? You love him more than you love dad."

"Well, I wouldn't say … it's different."

"You love them both but you're in love with Luke. That's the difference, right? "

"Right."

"And you want it to last, right?"

"Of course."

"So if you want it to last with Luke, than you don't wanna be with dad. And if you don't wanna be with dad, than I don't want you too either. I'm glad you're with Luke. He's in love with you and he's here and you should be with him forever."

Lorelai smiled and thankfully it was too dark for Rory to see the slight hesitation in the curve of her mother's lips.

"Right, yes, that makes sense."

"But I want dad to comeback," Rory added, the words barely loud enough to hear. "Is that bad?"

"No, sweets, that's not bad."

"I know he was mean to Luke last time and I know Luke's probably mad that he's here, but I want him to stay the weekend, like he promised… I really hope he comes back."

Lorelai kissed her daughter's cheek then leaned back to show Rory a smile. "Me too, babe. And he will. He'll come back."

_KC's Bar_

Twenty minutes since his arrival and Chris was on his fourth beer. He wasn't in the mood to pace himself. As he was chugging down the liquid poison, Luke was turning away from the T.V.

The tired Danes whispered a quiet sigh as he rolled his eyes away from the television. The Yankees won the game; they crushed the Sox in a landslide victory. So with the game's bitter end, Luke was calling it a night. He was ready to abandon his nearly finished Bud Light and head for home. But when he turned in his stool to go, he saw someone sitting at the other end of the bar. Someone who showed up out of the blue. Someone who ruined his night.

"Hey! Another one over here!" Chris shouted, his voice too loud as he tapped the empty bottle in his hand.

Through furrowed brows, Luke watched as another guy he wasn't too fond of came from the back with a new beer.

"Can I get you anything else? I can make any drink you can think of if you're in the mood to get a little… exotic," the bartender finished through a grin.

Luke turned to find a bleach blond woman standing on the other side of the counter. Her green were eyes were circled with layers of black liner and her shirt revealed far too much. Even with the generous display, Luke didn't give her another look. Maybe if he was single he would have glanced her way for a few seconds- he was only human after all- but Luke had no interest in her, no matter how many times she stopped to ask what he wanted.

"I'm fine. Just leaving," Luke answered distractedly while pulling some money from his pocket, then dropping the bills on the bar top.

"Suite yourself," the woman said through a shrug while quickly swiping the money, then slipping the bills to her bra.

"Mind if I take this to go?" Chris asked while leaning against the bar as he got his feet firm to the ground.

Derek shrugged. "Pay your bill and you can do whatever you want."

Luke held up as he stood within earshot while he slipped his wallet back into his pocket.

"You got it, man," Chris said through a smile while he pulled out some money then slapped the bills to the countertop. "You have a good night, Derek."

"You too," the bartender returned.

When Luke saw Chris pluck his keys from his pocket, the man's eyes widened a bit.

He looked back at Chris's vacated spot to find a handful of empty bottles on the bar.

"Hey! Wait!" Luke shouted while hurrying to the door.

Before rushing outside, he stopped at the bar where Derek was cleaning up Chris's mess.

"How could you let him leave?" Luke nearly growled. "Do you know how many beers you served him? He can't drive like that. What's wrong with you?"

Derek stopped what he was doing to look at Luke. "I'm a bartender, okay? I'm not a babysitter. He wants to drive himself off a cliff, that's his problem," Derek explained tersely. "You should go join him," he murmured through tight lips.

"I should what?" Luke demanded.

Not backing down, Derek squared his stare on Luke. "I said you should join him."

"What the hell is your problem? Huh? This about Lorelai? You ticked off that I have her and you don't?" Luke said, his voice challenging to Derek to agree.

"You don't deserve her. You're a pathetic loser who sleeps in a damn diner. I don't know what the hell she sees in you."

"Okay, that's it, outside."

The two men shared a menacing stare before Derek threw his rag to the counter and rounded the bar.

Luke was right behind him.

_Crapshack_

Rory was curled to her mom as the elder Gilmore lay in bed with her arm hung over her daughter's hip, the remote held in her hand. The room was dark, all except for the glow radiating from the television as Lorelai flicked from channel to channel, desperately trying to find something, anything to watch.

After settling on Who's the Boss, Lorelai tossed the remote to the empty part of the bed. She watched Tony and Sam argue over a boy she liked for a minute or two before her eyes drifted to the clock. 10:39 flashed in glowing green numbers. Lorelai frowned at the hour. She felt like the time should have read something later and she wasn't happy that the night was ticking by slower than a turtle crossing the street.

Lorelai sighed as she moved her gaze to her sleeping daughter. She couldn't help but smile at the way Rory was curled to her chest as the prê-teen's cheek was pressed to her arm and Colonel Clukers lie between them.

"Still my baby," Lorelai murmured as she carefully tucked Rory's falling hair behind her ear. She then kissed her daughter's cheek before looking back to the T.V.

And then the phone rang.

_K.C's_

Lorelai rushed to a stop behind a police car. After grabbing her keys from the ignition, she wasted no time in leaving the jeep. Once her feet touched the ground she rushed down the rest of the block, her flip- flops slapping against the cement sidewalk as she hurried to K.C's.

"Excuse me," Lorelai murmured a handful of times as she shimmed her way through the crowd.

When she finally broke through the small sea of people, her eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

"You don't know anything," Chris argued.

"Shut up," Luke growled.

"Hey, come on, enough."

"Coop?" Lorelai questioned.

The officer turned around to smile at his neighbor. "Hey, good you're here."

Lorelai nodded with her eyes on the small line of men, their hands all cuffed behind their backs.

"What happened?"

"I'm right in the middle of my sandwich when I get a call from some busy body who complained about a disturbance. I settle that, hang up and two minutes later I get a call from someone else about some guys fighting in the middle of street. So I show up here and find these idiots going at it right over there," he explained while pointing to the street. "They were blocking traffic."

"Are they okay?" Lorelai asked while looking over Coop's shoulder to meet Luke's eyes. The word sorry was reflected in his tired gaze.

"Yeah, for the most part. They're a little banged up, especially the one in the middle, but he's drunk so that's a given. Oh, and that truck they decided to throw each other on isn't doing too good. They knocked the mirror right off and dented the hood."

"Great," Lorelai muttered. "Do you know why they were fighting?"

"From what I can tell, over you."

"Me?" Lorelai questioned.

"Seemed like you were the reason. Your name came up a lot."

Lorelai sighed. "Do you have to take them in?"

Coop shook his head. "Just had to separate 'em. That's why I called you. Think you can settle it?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to."

Coop nodded. "I'll clear these people out."

"Thanks," Lorelai murmured.

TBC. . .

**Review? Please and thank you! :D**


	45. That's All He Wrote

It's been a while, I know. I've just been so busy. I thought it was about time I joined working America, so for the past couple of weeks, I've been doing that. Lemme tell you, working 40 hours a week is big fun. I'd rather be writing, but what are you gonna do? Money makes the world go 'round, so gotta earn some.

I know this is a short one, but finally, I got it done! Yay! Plus, I've got the next one started so it shouldn't be more than a week, tops, before chapter 46 arrives at a computer near you!

Again, I'm really, really sorry for the lack of length (and the long wait), but I hope you enjoy the update! :D

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 45: That's All He Wrote**

"Do you know why they were fighting?"

"From what I can tell, over you."

"Me?" Lorelai questioned in surprise.

"Seemed like you were the reason. Your name came up a lot."

Lorelai sighed. "Do you have to take them in?"

Coop shook his head. "Just had to separate 'em. That's why I called you. Think you can settle it?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to."

Coop nodded. "I'll clear these people out."

"Thanks," Lorelai murmured.

Lorelai watched with her arms crossed over her chest as Coop scattered the crowd. Within seconds, bodies were dispersing deeper into the square, leaving just the four of them.

"Take it from here?" Coop asked.

"Yeah, I got it."

Coop gave the lady a smile and a nod before taking off with one of two police vehicles that were property of Stars Hollow.

Once Coop was gone, Derek swiped his keys from the ground where they fell during the fight, and then he fled the scene.

"Jerk," Luke muttered.

Lorelai blew out a frustrated breath. "You, stay right there," she warned Chris who was leaning against the brick wall.

Lorelai took Luke's hand and pulled him off to the side.

"Right now, I have a sleeping child alone in bed who doesn't know I'm gone, so I don't have time to hear the details, but tomorrow you're telling me what happened. I don't trust Chris enough to get the full story, so you better make sure you remember every little detail," Lorelai warned.

Luke nodded.

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I got called down here in the middle of the night to break up a fight between 3 grown men."

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized raggedly. "But I couldn't let him walk away, not after what he said about you."

"Who?"

"Derek. Guy's an ass."

"Derek?" Lorelai asked in surprise. "What'd he say? No, wait, never mind. Tomorrow, just tell me everything tomorrow."

Luke nodded. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

"No, that's okay. I need to take Chris back to the house. There's no way he can drive like that."

"What?" Luke asked confusedly. "But he was here. I thought he was leaving."

"I don't know. We had a fight. Maybe he was just blowing off steam, but either way, I can't let him drive."

"I'll take him to a hotel."

"Luke-"

"He's enough of an idiot when he's sober; I don't want him alone with you when he's drunk. I'll take him," Luke said while turning around.

"Hey, hey," Lorelai called while grabbing his arm to stop him. "What do you think is gonna happen, Luke? Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you," Luke argued firmly, his voice rough. "It's him, I don't like him. I don't even want him near you."

"Luke, please look at me."

The man pulled his stare from over his shoulder to focus on the girl in front of him.

"I am with you, Luke. I am all in. The only reason I will even tolerate him tonight is because he's Rory's father. If he had no biological connection to my kid, I would leave him here, but I can't, and you know that."

Luke barely nodded.

Lorelai smiled sympathetically. "Hug?"

Without a word, Luke quickly wrapped his arms around his girl, holding her close to his body, leaving not an inch between them.

"I love you," Luke said gruffly with his lips at the top of her head.

Lorelai smiled at the rare sentiment. "I love you too, babe. You and Rory, you got my heart."

Luke smiled while releasing her just enough to find her eyes. "Come tomorrow for breakfast. Even if beer boy is with you."

"Okay," Lorelai agreed through a grin. "I'll see you in the morning," she promised.

"See you in the morning."

_XOX_

_CrapShack_

After getting home and setting up Chris on the couch, Lorelai dragged her tired body to the second floor. She slipped into bed next to her daughter, pulled the covers to their chests, and then drifted to sleep, leaving the problems for tomorrow.

_XOX_

_Morning_

Lorelai was the first to wake up, which surprised her, but when she glanced over at the clock and found the time to be barely seven a.m, she understood why she was the first to rise. On the weekends, Rory liked to sleep in a little since she didn't have to wake for school. Normally, Lorelai did too when she didn't have to work, but she thought maybe her mind was too anxious to remain unconscious any longer.

After carefully sliding from the bed, Lorelai hurried downstairs. She needed some answers. She figured she'd try and get something outta Chris, then go to Luke for the whole story later, but when she reached the first floor, the couch was empty all except for a blanket that was thrown over the cushions.

"Chris?" Lorelai called while turning to the foyer.

She popped her head into the bathroom, but found no on there.

"I swear to God, Christopher," Lorelai muttered while hurrying to the kitchen.

No one.

But there was a note on the kitchen table.

_XOX_

**I got to go, Lor. We'll try this again though, okay? This just isn't the best time for this. Tell Rory I'm sorry.**

"That's it?" Luke asked while flipping the paper over.

Lorelai nodded. "That's all he wrote."

Luke crumbled up the note, then tossed it to trash. "Good riddance."

Lorelai groaned while burying her face in her hands. "I don't know what to do. What do I tell Rory? I just… Damn it, I can't keep doing this! I can't keep covering for him! I can't keep watching him break my daughter's heart, over and over again. It's too much! This is too hard! I can't do it!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Luke soothed while standing from the chair and circling his arms around Lorelai. "We'll think of something to tell her, okay? Don't worry," he assured his girl as she buried her face in his flannel. "I'll fix this, Lorelai," he promised. "She'll be okay."

_XOX_

The youngest Gilmore woke not ten minutes after Lorelai's break down, leaving Luke with just minutes to think of something.

"She's up," Lorelai said while falling to a kitchen chair.

Luke waited a beat, and then asked, "how do you know?"

"Heard my door open. Then the bathroom. She always brushes her teeth before breakfast. Me? I go with after, but you know Rory. She's smarter than this whole town put together, so if she brushes before instead of after there must be a good reason. I should probably brush mine before," Lorelai said thoughtfully.

Luke nodded while peaking into the foyer.

"I have an idea," he said when suddenly a light bulb went off in his head.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Think I can talk to Rory alone?"

"Well, yeah, but what's your idea?"

_XOX_

"Are you sure about this?"

Luke shrugged. "Why not? It's just one day. I've had her for a day before."

"Yeah, you've had her here where I'm no more than a phone call away if you need me. Jersey isn't 6 blocks away from the Inn."

"We won't need you," Luke assured the Gilmore while heading into the diner. "We'll drive up early, go to the museum, she'll look around, have a hotdog, buy a souvenir and then we're on our way home. That's it. No big deal."

"Okay," Lorelai agreed, though a bit of doubt remained in her mind as she followed him to the counter.

"Didn't you see how happy she was when I offered? She wants to go; I can take her. That guy you call her father promised to do something we both know he's not gonna do. And with him leaving, she needs something to cheer her up. This'll do that."

"Yeah, you're right. But if you wait two weeks, I can come. I have to work next weekend. I can't take off. There's a big meeting on Saturday. If you wait and something goes wrong, I'll be-"

"You really think waiting is a good idea? I wish I could take her during the week, but she won't want to miss school."

Lorelai thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, the sooner, the better. I don't want her waiting all summer. If Chris doesn't pull through- which he probably won't- at least she went."

Luke nodded in agreement. "So, I'll pick her up Saturday, bright and early."

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

_XOX_

_The Inn_

"So, three men were fighting over you. Very impressive," Sookie praised when her best friend walked through the kitchen.

"What can I say? I'm irresistible."

Sookie smiled. "So, what happened? Kirk only had bits and pieces. Chris say something to tick Luke off?"

Lorelai shook her head while swiping a clean coffee mug from the cabinet. "Derek did."

Sookie's eyes widened. "Derek?"

"Readers digest version? Derek was working that night, Luke was there watching the game, and Chris was sulking on a bar stool after we had a fight. Chris was drunk, Derek let him leave that way, Luke made a fuss about it and that's when the fighting began.

"Oh, who hit who first?" Sookie asked eagerly.

Lorelai sighed. "Derek called me a skanky slut and Luke didn't take that too well. They were outside; Luke threw a punch. Chris was there so he got mixed up in it all, and yeah, when I went down there, Coop had them cuffed and lined up."

"Oh my God," Sookie awed. "He called you a slut?"

"Yup."

"So I guess he's not into you."

Lorelai shrugged before taking a sip of coffee. "Luke thinks he is. He said Derek was rattling on and on about how Luke is nothing but a low life diner owner who doesn't deserve me. I don't know, but what I do know is there's something weird about Derek. Luke said something about him having a bad temper, but he's been nothing but nice to me. Then on the other hand, he did call me a skanky slut," Lorelai said thoughtfully.

"Mystery."

"Yeah. Mystery."

_Later That Day_

Luke warned her to leave it alone. He begged her to stay away from the bar, to avoid Derek, but her curiosity got the best of her. She needed some answers.

"Yeah, this is the last one!"

Lorelai watched as James came from the back with two cases of beer stacked to his chest.

"Get a receipt from the guy and leave it on Gerry's desk!" James called while sliding the boxes to the counter.

As he was unloading the bottles, Lorelai slid onto a stool.

"Hey."

James looked up while putting the bottles to the shelf beneath the countertop.

"Oh, hey. Didn't think I'd see you around here again."

Lorelai smiled a bit. "That's actually why I'm here. Do you think we can talk for a minute?"

James sighed. "Figured you'd find out eventually."

"What?"

He shook his head. "I'll finish these after," James said while lifting a square from the countertop to allow Lorelai by. "Come on. There's something you should know."

_TBC.._

**Review? Please, and thank you! :D**


	46. Alls Well That Ends Well

As always, thank you all so much for the lovely reviews!

Oh, and about calling Lorelai 'The Gilmore,' I'm sorry! I just like to mix it up every now and then. I feel like constantly saying Lorelai said this, Lorelai said that is a little repetitive, but I'll keep it down to a minimum.

Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls **

**Chapter 46: Alls Well That Ends Well**

_KC's Bar_

Luke warned her to leave it alone. He begged her to stay away from the bar, to avoid Derek, but her curiosity got the best of her. She needed some answers.

"Yeah, this is the last one!"

Lorelai watched as James came from the back with two cases of beer stacked to his chest.

"Get a receipt from the guy and leave it on Gerry's desk!" James called while sliding the boxes to the counter.

As he was unloading the bottles, Lorelai slid onto a stool.

"Hey."

James looked up while putting the bottles to the shelf beneath the countertop.

"Oh, hey. Didn't think I'd see you around here again."

Lorelai smiled a bit. "That's actually why I'm here. Do you think we can talk for a minute?"

James sighed. "Figured you'd find out eventually."

"What?"

He shook his head. "I'll finish these after," James said while lifting a square from the countertop to allow Lorelai by. "Come on. There's something you should know."

James led Lorelai through the back and to the storage room.

"Hey, mind handling the bar? I'll take care of this."

Danny, another worker at the bar, nodded while abandoning the nearly full box of beer to man the front.

Once they were alone, James motioned for Lorelai to sit on the bench that split the room. With her brows knit curiously, Lorelai took a seat on the wood plank while holding her purse to her lap.

"I heard about what happened last night and since you won't get an apology from Derek (he'll probably never face you again,) I'll apologize for him."

Lorelai waved him off. "It's okay, I just… I feel like there's something I don't know. I mean you've been here long enough; the town talks, but no one really has a straight answer. It's all just whispers. Everyone seems to think Derek is hiding something."

"He is," James confirmed. "That's the main reason why we moved out here."

Lorelai was afraid to ask more, but before she could make a decision either way, James continued.

"My brother is bi-polar. He's really got anger management issues. That seems to be the worst of it, the anger. When he takes his medicine, he's pretty much okay, but when he doesn't… he doesn't like the pills. He says he doesn't like the way they make him feel. So, sometimes he chooses, to, uh, self medicate. Back where we used to live, he knew a guy who could get him weed. He thought that did the trick just fine, and yeah, maybe it calmed him, but he needs the pills. When he doesn't take them, his emotions are all over the place and well, sometimes he says things he doesn't mean," James said while meeting Lorelai's gaze. The Gilmore nodded.

"I thought moving us here, he would have to take the pills, but I found weed in his room. I don't know if he still talks to that guy or if he found someone else… either way… I don't know. But I know he's been skipping the pills and smoking instead. Most of the time, I bug him enough and he'll take them. I just worry about what will happen when he's on his own. I've been seeing this girl for two years. We've been long distance for the past year or so, but things are headed to a permanent place and I worry about him, you know? He's my twin brother. He's been with me since day one. We roomed together in college. After that we had an apartment. Now here we have the house. We always did everything together. It's just always been that way. But I could have a wife soon, and he's not there yet. He doesn't have someone like I have Cheyenne. But at some point I have to move on with my life. I can't always be there to look out for him, to keep his secret. I, uh… I don't know what to do."

Lorelai nodded in understanding with a sympathetic frown on her face.

"I know he could make it on his own. He could be okay if he would just take care of himself. Quit the weed, take the pills, hold a job for longer than six months… but he's stubborn as hell, so what can I do?"

"I, um… I don't know what to say," Lorelai said helplessly. "I wish there was something I could do; I wish I could help, but-"

James shook his head to stop her. "It's alright; I'll handle it. I always do," he assured her. "I just thought you should know the truth. But Derek doesn't want it to get around, so if you could keep this quiet, I would really appreciate it."

"I will," Lorelai promised.

James nodded while giving her a small smile.

"Well, I guess I should go."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry to keep you so long," he apologized while getting to his feet.

"Oh, no, you didn't; just gotta get back to work. That paycheck won't earn itself."

"Yeah, of course. I'll see ya later, Lorelai."

The Gilmore nodded while turning to go, but before reaching the door, she turned and said, "I can be a little late if you need help unpacking those."

"Yeah?" James asked through a growing smile.

Lorelai nodded while putting her purse to the floor.

"So, you playing in that softball tournament at the end of the month?"

"Hoyeah, I'm the best catcher from here to the bar," James boosted through a grin.

"So, in other words you suck?"

"Yup. Danny's got me beat. He's the best catcher from here to the parking lot. But I thought, what the hell, I'll play anyway."

Lorelai smiled. "That's the spirit."

_Later_

Lorelai was at the Inn getting ready to leave for the night. Her back together with Luke date was scheduled for seven. She figured if she hurried outta there fast enough, she'd have enough time to make a quick pit stop before going home to shower and change.

"Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now," Lorelai sang under her breath while hurrying to gather her things.

Just when she managed to find her purse, Lisa stopped her. The manager talked her ear off for a good 15 minutes before Lorelai was able to break free. For a second, she thought about sticking a fork in the plan, but quickly she rationalized that she still had enough time.

"Bye, Sookie!" Lorelai shouted while running through the kitchen and out the back door.

"Bye!"

It was 5:42 when Lorelai pulled up in front of Derek's house. She knew Saturday was his night off, so she hoped to find him there.

Standing on the porch, Lorelai took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. After a moment went by with no answer, Lorelai pressed the tiny metal button again. A ding-dong rang through to the porch, but another minute ticked by and still nothing.

Lorelai leaned over the railing to peak at the driveway. Derek's car was sitting in front of the closed garage door. He was home; she was sure of it.

Finally, Lorelai realized that he wasn't answering because he was probably asleep. He worked a wacky schedule and used his free day to catch up on some Z's.

Quickly, Lorelai stuck her hand in her purse, blinding rifling through the organized chaos until her fingers stumbled upon a stick of post-its and a pen.

**Derek- **

**Sorry if I woke you. I need to talk to you though. I'll come by the bar tomorrow. **

**Lorelai**

After slapping the sticky paper to the inside of the screen door, Lorelai hurried back to her jeep. She had a date to get ready for.

_XOX_

_CrapShack_

After speeding through Stars Hollow, Lorelai arrived home at 5:54. When she got there, Luke's truck was already in her drive.

With a puzzled frown, Lorelai pulled her keys from the ignition before sliding from the jeep.

Luke was sitting on the porch. He wasn't dressed for their planned fancy dinner, as instead he wore his usual flannel and jeans. When his eyes met hers, Lorelai could tell right away that he wasn't happy.

"Hey," she said cautiously. "You're here early. I thought we said seven."

"We did."

Lorelai waited a beat, then asked, "Is something wrong?"

The man nodded while standing to his feet. "Why were you at his house?"

"What?"

"I was going to the bank, I drove down Peach and I see you at his house. I thought I asked you to stay away from him," Luke said while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Okay, A, I'm not a child; you can't tell me what to do. And B, I didn't see him, okay? But I do need to talk to him, so I'm going to the bar tomorrow," Lorelai said while walking past Luke to take the stairs to the front door.

"I wasn't kidding, Lorelai! I don't want you near him!"

The Gilmore sighed while stopping by the answering machine to put her purse and keys down.

"Luke, please, can you not make a big thing outta this?"

"Do you not remember what he called you?"

"Skanky slut? Yeah, kinda hard to forget."

"Then what are you doing? Why are you going over there?" Luke demanded.

"I know you're ready to strangle him-"

"He touches you and I will," Luke warned seriously.

"But he didn't mean what he said."

"How do you know? I was there; you weren't. He meant it."

"You know, you yourself said you think he likes me. If he likes me, why would he call me a slut and mean it?" Lorelai challenged with her hands on her hips.

Luke stared at her through furrowed brows, his chest rising and falling with every confused breath.

After a moment of silence, Lorelai said, "as much you'd like to think so, Derek's not a bad guy, Luke," her voice soft as her arms fell.

Luke shook his head. He wasn't buying it.

"He has some problems, okay?"

"Yeah, he's a jerk. That's his problem."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You're acting like a five year old."

"Hey, I'm just trying to keep you safe, and if that means I'm acting like a five year old, then fine; I don't care."

"And it's sweet that you're trying to protect me, but I won't get hurt. Derek is just a guy. He's not a villain or a serial killer . . . I need to talk to him. I'm sorry you're unhappy about that, but I will be going there tomorrow," Lorelai warned, the words firm but her tone gentle. "If you'd still like to have our date, I'm not in the mood to go out, but I'd be more than happy to order some take out and watch a movie with you. If you wanna leave, go ahead. Either way, I'll be down in five minutes," she said before turning for the stairs.

Luke sighed as she took her time climbing her way to the second floor.

_XOX_

After changing into grey sweat pants and a blue tank top, Lorelai left her bedroom while tying her long, dark hair in a high ponytail.

When the living room came into view, Lorelai frowned at the empty couch. Just when she thought Luke had gone home, voices in the kitchen told her otherwise.

"Ask for extra fortune cookies," Lorelai heard a voice say a she turned past the living room.

"Sure you don't wanna stay?" Luke asked.

"No. Kathy from school opened her pool today and she invited a bunch of people to sleepover. I just wish Lane could sleepover too."

"Her mom won't let her?"

"No. She can come but she can't stay the night," Rory answered, her voice sad. "I might not either."

Lorelai stood in the hall, away from sight as to not interrupt their conversation.

"Isn't it a little cold to go swimming? It barely peaked at 80 degrees today."

"If it is we'll probably just watch a movie or something."

"What if they already ate? You should eat something first."

"Kathy's mom is ordering pizza. I just came home to grab my bag. It's already packed."

"Okay. Well, call if you need to be picked up or anything."

"I will. Thanks, Luke."

Lorelai watched from her hiding spot as Rory crossed the kitchen to her room.

"Hey."

When Luke turned to find Lorelai, he gave her an apologetic smile.

"Hey. Chinese okay?" he asked while holding up the menu.

Lorelai nodded. "I'll get the cups."

While Lorelai went to the cabinet for two glasses, Luke dialed Al's Pancake World.

"Okay, I'm going," Rory announced while emerging from her room with a duffel bag hanging from her hands. "Jenny's mom is picking everyone up. She's got a big minivan."

Lorelai smiled. "Have fun, babe," she said before kissing her daughter's cheek.

_Beep!_

"That's Jenny. Bye!" Rory called while dashing from the kitchen.

When the door swung closed, Lorelai swiped the glasses from the counter and carried them to the living room. While Luke was busy ordering their dinner, she sat down on the couch, grabbed the remote and began the quest to find something entertaining to watch.

After a moment of channel surfing, Lorelai landed on 'Sixteen Candles.'

"Food's on its way," Luke said while walking through the living room.

Lorelai nodded, her eyes remaining on her movie.

Luke released a small, quiet sigh while falling to the recliner.

Lorelai barely peaked at him through the corner of her eye. "I know I'm not a tiny little feather, but I don't take up the whole couch."

Luke smiled a bit while rising from his chair.

Lorelai was on the middle cushion, so Luke took the spot to her left. Once he was seated, she swung her legs to the couch and rested her head on his lap.

Luke smiled further. He figured he'd try his luck so he put his hand to her hip. Instead of brushing him away, Lorelai pulled his arm until his hand found her covered belly.

20, maybe 22 seconds passed before Lorelai lifted Luke's hand so she could pull her tank top to her bra line. Luke watched, his eyes wide with anticipation as she slid his palm over her naked belly button.

"We're not gonna fight about this, are we?" Lorelai asked, the words just above a whisper as she twined her fingers between Luke's, holding his hand in place.

Luke didn't say a word, but his stare remained zeroed in on their hands.

"I know you worry about me."

"I do," Luke answered on reflex.

Lorelai smiled a bit. "I need to clear the air, Luke," she said with just a hint of desperation in her voice.

"Okay," Luke mumbled a moment later.

"Okay," Lorelai agreed while giving his hand a squeeze.

_Next Day_

Instead of using her lunch hour to go to the diner, Lorelai drove to her neighbor's house with her on the-go meal in her hands, aka- the sandwich Sookie made. Lorelai had just come from the bar where Derek was nowhere to be found and so her new destination was quickly set.

After plucking the toothpick from the center of the bread, Lorelai took a bite of ham, swiss and tomato as she navigated her jeep through town; all the while her mind trying to come up with the right words to say to somehow make the upcoming conversation less awkward than she was sure it would be.

Minutes later, when she turned onto Peach street, she kept one hand on the wheel while wrapping up the remains of her sandwich. Just as she set her lunch down on the passenger's seat, she pulled up to Derek's.

"There's just a few more boxes in the living room."

With her curiosity peaked, Lorelai watched from the sidewalk as a man came from Derek's house with a big brown box in his hands. He followed the cement path from the porch to the street where he stopped to slide the box into the back of an open moving truck.

"Okay, we should be outta here by- Lorelai."

The Gilmore turned at her name to find Derek holding two small boxes stacked against his chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh," Lorelai started while briefly looking over her shoulder at the moving van, then instantly focusing back on Derek. "I wanted to talk to you. Didn't you get my note?"

"If this is about the other night-"

"It's not- well, no, it is, but- I'm sorry, are you leaving?"

Derek nodded while continuing his journey to the truck.

"Where are you going? Why are you going?" Lorelai fired while hurrying after him.

"Need a change of scenery."

"But I thought- I mean you guys haven't even been here a year."

"Yeah, well, I can't keep living under the world's biggest microscope. I'm heading back home to try and find a place there."

"Oh," Lorelai murmured through a frown.

Derek nodded while hopping back to the sidewalk.

"Listen, Lorelai, about what happened; I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," she waved off. "Don't worry about it."

"It's okay?" Derek questioned confusedly. And then it hit him. "James told you, didn't he?"

"Yes, but don't be mad at him. I went over there asking questions. It's just, well, with what happened, and all the rumors flying around, I wanted to know the truth."

"And now you do," Derek sighed.

"Yeah, but, Derek, it's okay. It's nothing to be ashamed about. We all have our issues, right? I just hope you do what you have to everyday to be okay, you know?"

Derek studied her face for a moment before asking, "what did James tell you?"

Lorelai's brows furrowed. "You know, that you… the bi polar thing," she offered awkwardly. "And, uh, the anger… stuff," she finished lamely.

"Ah, that truth."

"What other truth is there?"

Derek shook his head while picking up his journey to the house. "I need to finish packing. I promised James I'd be outta here by 3:00 so his girl can move in."

"Wow, you guys work fast," Lorelai awed while following him to the house.

"Yup."

"Last I heard that was a long distance thing."

"Guess he convinced her to move down here."

"Oh… so what other truth?"

"What does it matter? I'm leaving anyway."

"Well, you know what they say. The truth will set you free," Lorelai offered through a shrug.

"Ask James. He blabbed about the other thing so I assume he'll tell you about this too."

Lorelai frowned.

Derek sighed at her fallen lips. "You're a smart girl, Lorelai; you know already."

Yes, she did know. And now she was sure.

"I really have to go," Derek said with a tiny smile. He could see she connected the dots. "Cheyenne will be here soon and blondie was never too fond of me so I'd like to be on the road before she shows up."

Lorelai nodded in understanding, but there wasn't a smile in sight.

"Hey," Derek said while nudging her elbow. "It's good I'm leaving. I've been nothing but a pain in the ass to my brother. And go figure, but I'm actually looking forward to seeing my parents again. Haven't since we moved here. Plus, I've got a friend who thinks he can score me a job at Target. Not exactly corporate America, but it's a stepping stone, right?"

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed through curving lips.

"Finally, she smiles. Oh, and my offer still stands."

"What offer?"

"If the jeep acts up, just gimme a call and I'll come down and fix it. Okay?"

"Okay."

Derek smiled further. "I'll see ya around, Lorelai Gilmore."

"Yeah," she agreed," I'll see ya around."

_Diner_

"So, he's gone?" Luke asked with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Lorelai nodded, her face dull.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you happy about this?"

Lorelai shrugged. "It just happened so fast. I mean, the way James talked about Derek, he seemed so protective, and now suddenly he's letting him leave so he can live with his girlfriend… I don't know, maybe he just got fed up. Derek will probably be better off near home anyway. And now James can move on with his life, focus on himself. He won't have to watch out for Derek 24/7. It's good."

Luke looked at her with questions in his eyes. "Is there something I'm missing?"

Lorelai smiled a little. "I thought you liked being outta the loop. You always complain about how this town is too nosy."

"It is," Luke agreed.

"So, maybe you'll just let this be a mystery?"

Of course, if Luke asked, she would tell him everything. She would tell him Derek is bi-polar and that he has a thing for her. She would then swear him to secrecy. But even though Derek was gone, she wanted to keep her word. She wanted to keep his secret, keep the town guessing. It was the right thing to do. It was more fun that way.

At the hopeful look in her eyes, Luke shrugged. "He's gone, right? So I don't have to worry about it," he reasoned.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed, "You don't have to worry about it."

_TBC…_

**Review? Please, and Thank you! :D**


	47. The Best Laid Plans

This took way too long, I know. And with classes starting tomorrow, oy. Plus I'll have work Friday-Sunday, I won't have to time to update too frequently. Sorry! But I do hope to update weekly. One chapter a week is what I'm aiming for. *Fingers crossed*

Enjoy!

Read on!

**Gilmore girls **

**Chapter 47: The Best Laid Plans**

It was a bright, sunny morning on Friday, June 11th in Stars Hollow, Connecticut. The town was filled with a sense of calm with the young hour, though despite the 7:00 a.m clock reading, there was one spot in particular that was alive with buzz.

"Did ya see her?" Babette called anxiously while hurrying to the magazine stand in the center of town.

"She's something to look at," Bootsy commented with his eyes on the open newspaper in his lap.

"I hear she was a beauty queen," Patty threw in before taking a drag from her cigarette. It was her wake-up-smoke before her first ballet class.

"Everyone's sayin' she's got a hot body. When ya got a hot body, you win a crown!" Babette boosted.

"Whose got a hot body?" Lorelai questioned while coming up behind the group. "If you're talking about me, please, let's leave the green monster out of it. Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

"Talking about the chick on Peach," Bootsy said without looking up.

"The new girl, sugah!"

"Oh," Lorelai realized through an agreeing nod. "Cheyenne, aka, James' girlfriend."

"Yeah, her," Patty confirmed.

"Wow," Lorelai awed, "she's been here a week and you're still talking about her?"

"We're waiting to hear what she'll say," Patty said.

"What who will say?" Mrs. Cassini asked while stepping up on the sidewalk.

"That girl, Cheyenne. Any day now, that blond stud of hers is gonna pop the big question," Babette said.

"I think she'll say yes."

All eyes turned to Lorelai.

"Do you know something?" Babette demanded.

"No more than you do, probably. I just know they've been serious for a while and, I mean, come on; she changed everything for him. She had a life in Maine. A job, friends, family, I assume. They were doing the long distance thing. Something more than a live in boyfriend had to make her move to another state and leave all that behind."

"I hear she's trying to get a job at the elementary school," Mrs. Cassini mused.

"Probably won't get one 'till the fall," Patty guessed. "I hear Mrs. Berkmen will be gone by then."

"Was she an art teacher? Cheyenne was an art teacher."

"I don't know," Babette murmured thoughtfully. "How do you know so much about her, doll? You and James in cahoots?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I run into him every now and then. I met Cheyenne when she first moved here. She's a talker. Nice, but a talker."

"So, was she a beauty queen?" Boosty asked anxiously while his eyes flew to Lorelai.

"Yup. 2 years in a row. That one James told me," the Gilmore said through a smirk. "Anyway, I should head to work. See you ladies later. Bye, Bootsy."

"Wait!"

Lorelai turned with one foot in the street.

"Luke still taking Rory away tomorrow?" Babette asked.

"Yeah, to the Liberty Science Center. Why does my kid wanna spend her Saturday touring some old, boring museum? I have no idea," Lorelai said while throwing her hands up in surrender.

The group smiled while Bootsy reached for another magazine.

"Give Rory a hug and kiss for us," Patty requested.

"I will!"

As Lorelai crossed the street, a smile covered her face as the topic of their chatter quickly moved to Mrs. Wright. The 56 year old woman had apparently been seeing some barely legal college hotty who was in town visiting his grandparents for the weekend. The kid lived on Plumb and came every couple of months. The town always thought there was something fishy there and seems Patty cracked the case.

"Gotta love the irony," Lorelai murmured.

XOX

_Independence Inn_

"Okay, sir, you are all checked in," Lorelai said while reaching for the set of keys to room 2. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," the gray haired man said with an appreciative smile before turning from the desk.

After finding there were no more customers in sight, Lorelai went to the computer. She figured she'd check her email since she had a free minute. Mostly she received junk mail, but every now and then, during Rory's free period, her daughter would head to the computer lab and send her a message. After punching in her username and password, Lorelai found a letter from the DAR. With her curiosity peaked, she clicked on the link.

_Dear Guests, _

_Emily's 55__th__ birthday celebration is on Sunday, June 13__th__, which is just around the corner! This is a reminder for all those attending to please be at the country club by 12:00; lunch will be served at 12:15. Of course, gifts are expected and don't forget to bring your dancing shoes, ladies! _

_I'll see everyone on Sunday! _

_Theresa Carlson, _

_**Head of Hartford's prestigious Daughter's of the American Revolution**_

"Damn, forgot about that," Lorelai cursed.

_Kitchen_

"Sook, I need help! Stat! Or whatever word they use in the kitchen to get someone to come quick, please insert in place of stat!"

"Sookie is busy right now."

Lorelai turned to the male voice that belonged to Eddy who stood over the computer with the phone to his ear.

Lorelai frowned while looking to Sookie who shrugged helplessly from the salad station.

Not in the mood to get in another argument with the grumpy head chef, Lorelai disappeared to the lobby, only to return a moment later with a pen in one hand and a notepad in the other.

After waving around like an idiot to get her friend's attention, Lorelai held up the pad for Sookie to see.

**Rich woman turning 55. Present?**

Sookie held back a laugh as she fumbled to find an order pad.

**Jewelry?**

**She's the rich one, not me. **

**Clothes?**

Lorelai drew a doodle with a smiley face sticking it's tongue out.

**Gift card? **Sookie tried.

Lorelai's eyes widened.

**Ding! Ding! We have a winner! Thanks!**

**Welcome! **Sookie scribbled.

_XOX_

After work, Lorelai drove down to the mall to purchase a gift card to the Sunshine spa. She put enough money on the card so her mother would be able to get a manicure and pedicure, then she raced home. She promised Rory she'd help with the packing. And there was movie night to be had.

"So, are you sure you'll be okay tomorrow?" Lorelai asked for the thousandth time as they packed a small bag filled with Rory's camera, some money, a water bottle, a few road snacks, and a change of clothes.

"Just incase; you never know if you'll find yourself victim to a freak pool slide incident," Lorelai warned not five minutes ago.

"I'm sure," Rory assured her mom. "I'll be with Luke; why wouldn't I be okay?"

"No, you're right, you will be okay. It's just, you know, you've never gone away without me."

"It's just for the day."

"You'll be in another state," Lorelai argued petulantly.

"It's only a couple of hours away," Rory reasoned through a shrug. "I think we'll be back before it even gets dark outside."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just being silly. Ignore me."

Rory smiled while slipping a book into her bag. She never left home without a book.

"Okay, you're all packed," Lorelai announced through a sigh.

"Movie time?"

Lorelai nodded enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up in a second.

"I'll find a movie!"

"I'll order pizza!"

_Next Morning_

_Diner_

"The sun ain't even warm yet," Lorelai mumbled in complaint as she carried Rory's bag to the bed of Luke's truck.

"Here," Luke offered while appearing from the diner with a paper plate of pancakes, sausage links, plus a cup of strawberries and grapes. "Breakfast on the go."

"Hey, no hash brown," Rory realized with frowning lips, the pout looking so much like her mother's.

"Gave you some fruit instead."

"Oh, she's over that whole health food kick. She won't eat that," Lorelai said.

"You don't eat the fruit, you don't get the pancakes."

"Mommy," Rory murmured pathetically while looking to Lorelai.

"I know; he makes me eat that crap too."

Luke sighed a frustrated breath.

"Fine, don't eat it, but you're not getting the hash brown.

"Okay," Rory argued easily while taking the plate, then sliding into the truck.

"Hey, you could've put up an ounce of fight, you know! Have I taught you nothing?"

Luke gave Lorelai a gloating a smirk while turning to the back of his truck to drop his duffle bag next to Rory's.

"So, how come you made me pack? This is a one day thing."

"Freak pool slide incident. Does no one listen to me when I talk?"

Luke smiled further while giving the door a tug to make sure it was closed and locked.

"I'll take that as a no," Lorelai murmured while crossing her arms over her chest.

With his smile intact, Luke turned away from the truck to put his hands on Lorelai's hips. He held her firmly while putting a kiss to the corner of her lips.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll miss you too," Lorelai said while pulling away.

"That's all I get?"

"Thought you weren't a fan of pda."

"No one's around," Luke argued gruffly.

Lorelai smiled while looking around. He was right; not a person in sight. She then looked to the truck to find Rory facing the windshield, her fork moving back and forth between her plate and her mouth.

"Alright, plant one on me, big boy, and make it good," Lorelai demanded with a tilt of her chin.

Luke rolled his eyes, but like magnets to a fridge, his hands found her hips again and in the same motion, he pressed his lips to hers in a firm kiss.

A moment later, Lorelai put her hand to Luke's chest, using the leverage to push away from his breathtaking kiss, one that shouldn't be received unless said kiss were to lead to something else.

Luke smiled at the dazed look in her eyes. He pulled her body back to him, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist while leaving small kisses to her forehead.

With eyes closed, Lorelai said, "If a speeding bullet heads her way-"

"I'll step in front of her."

Lorelai smiled, her baby blues still hidden behind her eyelids. "Thank you."

_XOX_

With having left so early, Luke and Rory arrived at the museum in fairly good timing.

"Should we leave the bags in the car?"

"Yeah, I'll put 'em up front; just grab what you want first."

Rory nodded while hurrying to the back of the truck to get her camera and money from the bag.

After Luke grabbed what he needed, he tossed the bags to the front, locked the doors, and off they went.

_X0X_

Lorelai was at the Inn just about to duck into a meeting when her cell rang.

"Hello… Oh, hey, Luke, how's the trip going?... What?" she asked, a frown instantly taking her face. "Closed to the public? How can it be… okay, yeah, Rory's trip was on a Saturday, too," Lorelai realized. "Oh, I can't believe you drove all that way and it's closed… Is she okay?... Oh, you're going somewhere else," Lorelai said in surprise. "Harvard?... Yeah, of course she wants to see it, but… Yeah, I mean if that's what she wants to do, it's okay with me," Lorelai said with a twinge of doubt in her voice, one Luke was too preoccupied to pick up on. "Wait, what? Overnight?... Yeah, you don't want to rush her… Yeah, yeah, you do have those bags packed… Luke, are you sure? I mean over night; are you sure?... Yeah, if you're sure, I'm okay with it."

"Lorelai, let's go!" Lisa shouted.

"Meeting's starting; call me when you get there, okay?... Yeah, I'll talk to her then… bye."

With a sigh, Lorelai hung up the phone, and then dashed to the conference room.

_XOX_

"Alright, guys," Lisa started while closing her folder full of notes. Summer's about to kick up, so you know what that means; Mia's due for a visit any time now."

"Mia's coming?" Lorelai asked. With everything going on, she'd forgotten that it's been a while since she's seen her boss.

"Probably by the end of the month," Lisa confirmed. "And I want everything perfect for when she arrives. She trusts us to keep this place in shape when she's away, so let's not let her down, okay?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Okay, then that wraps this one up. Back to work, everyone."

_XOX_

It took nearly 5 hours, but when they finally arrived, Luke blew out an exhausted breath as he put the truck in park. When he peaked over to his right, he gently shook Rory awake.

"We're here?" the preteen asked groggily while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Yup. There's Harvard," Luke said while pointing to the window.

Rory leaned forward so her wide, blue eyes could take in the scene.

"Whoa."

"Yeah. Big," Luke agreed in awe.

"Really big," Rory murmured while turning in her seat to look around.

"Hope we don't get lost in there," Luke joked while unlocking his seat belt.

"Maybe we shouldn't go in," Rory suddenly said with a hint of panic in her voice.

"I was kidding; we're not gonna get lost. I'll find a map or something."

"Yeah, I know, but… it's Harvard."

"The one and only," Luke agreed confusedly.

"I just… well, mom and I always talked about coming here, and well, I guess I can take pictures for her, but pictures aren't the same as the real thing, and-"

"And you don't wanna go in without your mom here," Luke finished.

Rory nodded while looking to her lap. "Are you mad?" she asked, keeping her stare from Luke's.

"You wanted to come see Harvard. You saw Harvard. We did what we came here to do, right?"

Rory peaked up to find a smile on his face. "Right," she agreed cautiously.

"So, next time we come, we go in. For now, I bet you're hungry, so why don't we find some dinner, and then get a room for the night. We'll drive back in the morning. Sound good?"

Rory smiled. "I am hungry."

Luke pulled a grin. "Figured."

_XOX_

_Crapshack_

"Aw, sweets, you know Luke could never be mad at you… Good, I'm glad you waited for me… Okay, yeah, I'll see ya tomorrow… night, angel."

After a minute of shuffling, Luke's voice sounded on the other end.

"Hey," Lorelai returned.

"How'd the meeting go?"

"Same old," Lorelai said while sliding into bed. "But everyone's been given strict orders to keep everything spik and span. We're expecting Mia for a surprise visit soon, so Lisa wants everything perfect."

"Been a while since we've seen her," Luke agreed before a yawn took him.

Lorelai smiled. "Tired?"

"Yup," Luke said while ruffling his hair as he sat on one of the beds while Rory headed to the bathroom to shower.

"I still can't believe you took her all the way there without even steeping foot inside those golden gates."

"She wanted to wait for you," Luke explained.

"Wanna know a secret?"

"What?"

"I wanted her to wait for me too," Lorelai whispered.

Luke smiled, his lips moving to a tired curve. "So it all worked out."

"Yeah."

"We'll see you in the morning."

"Night, babe."

"Night, Lorelai."

_XOX_

The hour was just after 9:00 as Rory and Luke checked out of the hotel. With their bags in hand, they went to the Holiday Inn parking lot and loaded their things in the truck. Not minutes later and they were on the road.

"Did you ever go an any road trips when you were a kid?" Rory asked curiously.

"Just up to my dad's cabin."

"Where's that?"

"Out in the woods by Bolton lake. 'Bout an hour from Stars Hollow."

"That's not that far."

"My dad wasn't big on long trips."

Rory nodded. "It must've been nice to have a house by the water."

"Yup. Good fishing over there."

"Did your dad teach you how to fish?"

"Yeah, when I was younger than you."

Rory frowned. "Am I too old to learn?"

Luke laughed a little. "You can't be too old to learn. It's not like training to be a Jedi."

"A what?"

Luke shook his head. "Nothing. And don't tell your mom I referenced Stars Wars. I'll never hear the end of it."

Rory smiled.

"You think maybe you can teach me?" Rory asked a moment later.

"How to fish?"

"Yeah."

Luke glanced to his right to give the girl next to him a smile. "Yeah, I can teach you."

Rory gave a huge smile. "And don't worry; I won't quit like I did with gymnastics. I'll practice everyday," she promised seriously.

Luke's smile turned to a smirk. "Okay."

_CrapShack_

It must have been on her unconscious mind; she dreamed about it during the late night hours. When Lorelai awoke, she put her hand to her flat tummy, a confused frown on her face. She had a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Hate when this happens," Lorelai murmured to the quiet room.

The Gilmore sighed while falling back to her pillow. She closed her eyes and mentally chanted the words, "think, think," over and over again.

Not ten seconds later and her eyes popped open. There was some tiny spec nagging in the back of her mind. Something was trying to push through the fog and make it's presence known.

Lorelai closed her eyes again.

Luke was in his truck. His things were packed. He said goodbye. Lorelai stood on the porch, her hand on her belly.

"No," Lorelai whispered as her eyes flew open.

She leaned on her forearms and looked down. Her hand was splayed over her tummy, just like it was during the dream she was sure she had.

The more Lorelai thought about it, the more she remembered.

She told Luke she was pregnant. He couldn't be a father. He left. She cried.

_XOX_

Needles to say, Lorelai's day didn't start out too well. And when she realized Rory wouldn't be back in time to go to her mother's party with her… well that was just the icing on the cake.

Lorelai went about her morning routine like a zombie, all the while her mind playing tricks on her. While she showered, drank some coffee, put her make up on and got dressed, every few minutes her brain brewed a new scene. She must've thought up a hundred different ways Luke could reject her. Every scene, every conversation ended the same way- the man she loved leaving her in tears.

While leaning against the kitchen counter dressed and ready to go, a coffee mug in her hand, Lorelai peaked down at her tummy and asked, "anyone in there?"

Of course, no answer came.

"Please don't be in there," she whispered.

Not second after the words left her lips, she felt horrible for saying them.

_Weston's_

"Hey. Sorry I'm late."

"Oh, I'm late too. I just walked in," Sookie waved off.

Lorelai nodded, a dull expression on her face as she took a seat next to her best friend.

"Something wrong?" Sookie asked worriedly.

Lorelai took a short breath before meeting Sookie's eyes. "I think I'm gonna do it."

"Do what?"

Lorelai looked to her left, then her right before leaning in to whisper, "take the test."

Sookie's confusion only grew. "What test? A work test? No one told me anything about a work test! I need to study! I suck at taking tests! I have to go!"

Lorelai would've laughed at her friend's needles panic, if only she wasn't seconds away from her own breakdown.

"No, Sookie, not that kind of test," she said while pulling the crazy woman back to her chair.

"Then what kind of test?"

Lorelai sighed while looking around the room. When she spotted her purse from the corner of her eyes, she grabbed a pen and post-it from inside, and then wrote down two words.

Sookie's eyes widened at the message.

"I thought you were going to wait 'till Friday. You know, for your –" Sookie stopped to take the pen and write another word down.

"I was, but I can't take the waiting anymore. As much as I wanna put off finding out, I can't take it. I have to know today."

"Today?" Sookie gasped.

Lorelai nodded and said, "It's been two weeks, right? Somewhere around there. That should be enough time. I think I'll be able to get a read."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No, no buts. Please, Sookie, don't try and talk me out of this. The thought of finding out the truth is terrifying me, but I have to know. And I really need your support. I need you to be there with me when I take it."

"Oh, sweetie, of course I'll be there. I just want to make sure you're ready. Once you take it, that's it; there's no going back. You've been putting it aside, leaving it for another day, but if you take the test, that's it. You'll know. Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm sure."

"I've known you long enough to know when you're lying."

"I have to know, Sookie," Lorelai whispered urgently, her voice begging for her friend to tell her taking the test is a good idea.

The chef nodded. "Okay. After your mom's party, come by my house. I'll pick up a test."

"Thank you."

Sookie smiled sympathetically. "Whatever the outcome, we'll get you through it, okay?"

"Okay," Lorelai agreed, the word just above a whisper.

TBC…

**Review? Please, and thank you! :D**


	48. Think Negative, That's Positive

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone whose been reading and reviewing! You know I love you guys! :D

Oh, and real quick, for those who read 'Stars Hollow' last chapter just about finished and will be posted tomorrow. Sorry for the wait!

Kay, enjoy! Read on!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Woman, and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 48: Think Negative; that's Positive**

On the way to her mother's party, nearly a handful of times, Lorelai turned the car around. She crossed many double yellow lines, made illegal U-turns, and almost hit a parked car in her haste to change directions. But every time she pointed her car towards Stars Hollow, she'd turn right back around not 2 blocks later.

It wasn't that Lorelai wanted to go to her mother's party- in fact, she didn't. Plus, without her daughter by her side to play buffer and distract her from Hartford's rich and snobby, Lorelai _really_ didn'twant to go. Then there was the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy weighing her mind. Facing her mother with something that big plaguing her every thought was dangerous; Lorelai was nervous enough about going, even without having that to worry about.

Lorelai knew not going would mean she'd get to that pregnancy test that much faster. While she wanted to know the results, having a few hours away from the answer was welcoming.

Back and forth, Lorelai's mind flip-flopped as she drove to the Hartford Country Club. One minute Lorelai was convincing herself that the hell she'd get from her mother for missing the party wasn't worth all the aggravation. She told herself she needed to wait. She needed a few hours away from it all before possibly having to face a very complicated realty.

The next minute, Lorelai would be making sharp, risky turns to head for Stars Hollow. She'd think 'Screw the party. Emily doesn't really care if I show up anyway. I need to go home. I need to take that damn test.' She had her cell phone poised in one hand, her finger ready to hit the speed dial to Sookie to tell her friend she was en route home.

Going back and forth caused Lorelai to be late. She knew she'd pay for that as she slid into visitor's parking.

"Eat, mingle, leave," Lorelai chanted under her breath as she swiped her purse from the passenger seat before getting out of the car.

With her mother's card in hand, Lorelai raced the path to the party hall. Her heals clicked persistently against the perfectly manicured sidewalk as she hurried to the Lakeview room.

"Excuse me, Miss!"

Lorelai came to a crashing halt before she turned to the shouting voice. "Yeah?"

A clean-shaven man dressed in a black suit with slicked back hair and shiny shoes approached Lorelai with an overly friendly smile.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't allow running indoors. If you could slow your pace to a walk, we'd greatly appreciate it."

"Right, yeah, of course, no running," Lorelai agreed eagerly. "Wouldn't wanna knock over the fake plants or anything," she said while suppressing an eye roll. Without another word, she turned to continue on with her journey.

When Lorelai turned the corner and was clear from Mr. Greasy man's vision, she ran the length of the hall to reach the Lakeview room with lungs nearly out of breath.

"Damn," Lorelai cursed, her voice low. "I gotta at least look at a treadmill every once in a while."

"Well, well, if it isn't Lorelai Gilmore."

Lorelai turned at the voice to see her former high school best friend, Trish Fairchild.

"Oh, hey, wow, long time no see."

Trish nodded while sweeping her long, shiny bleach blond hair over her shoulder. "I can't believe we haven't seen each other in what, ten years?"

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Something like that."

"Last I saw you, you had a little baby and you were packing up to leave home. Everything work out? I haven't seen you living in a box on the street or anything, so I assume it all worked out."

And there it was. That touch of rudeness masked by a joke that was sometimes subtle enough, if not looking, such a stabbing remark could be missed.

"Everything is great," Lorelai reported confidently.

"Really?" Trish asked as her super thin, nearly invisible eyebrows arched in surprise. "You're doing okay money wise and everything? I know your parents cut you off when you left home. I hear you were living in some cheap hotel for years. That doesn't sound okay to me."

Talking to Trish, Lorelai couldn't help but wonder why they were ever friends. Something did change about Trish when Lorelai got pregnant but even before that, Lorelai knew Trish could be rude, shallow, and condescending when she wanted to. Talking again, years later, with the mind of an adult, it made Lorelai wonder why.

"Like I said, everything is great," Lorelai repeated. She wasn't about to give up any personal information. God only knew what Trish would do with it. Her life was none of Hartford's business.

Lorelai could tell Trish didn't believe her thanks to the fake smile the overly tanned woman plastered to her face.

"Anyway, I should go in," Lorelai said while pointing over her shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, me too. I'm just waiting for my husband. He didn't want me to ruin my new manicure, so he went to find someone to help carry Emily's gift inside. It's too big for him to carry alone."

"Well, I'm sure he'll find someone," Lorelai hedged while stepping back.

Trish nodded as her smile grew. "He's a very successful lawyer; he knows how to talk people into doing things. I'm sure he won't have a problem."

"Fingers crossed," Lorelai said while holding her hand up as proof. "See you inside," she said before turning for the door.

Before Trish could even think about saying another word, Lorelai had disappeared into the party room.

Just inside stood two men; both dressed in identical black suits. They were so perfectly still, Lorelai would have mistaken them for royal guards, if only they had on those big, frilly hats.

"Good afternoon, Miss," the one to Lorelai's left started. "You can place your gift on the table to your right and pick up your seating card on the table just next to it."

"Okay, thanks," Lorelai said while putting one foot forward, but another voice stopped her. This time the man to her right spoke.

"Once you've located your card, please be seated at your designated table and lunch will be served momentarily. Your meal will be followed by tea and desert at 3:00. Enjoy the event."

Lorelai gave a fleeting nod and smile while hurrying to the present table. Luckily, one of the D.A.R members was standing at a podium in the center of the room, occupying everyone's attention.

While listening to her close friend, Catherine Walsh, talk about the day's festivities, Emily, of course, noticed when her daughter popped into the room. She was late. Emily watched out of the corner of her eye as Lorelai hurried across the room to the present table. She also noticed that Rory wasn't by her side; the youngest Gilmore was nowhere in sight.

If Lorelai had her way, she'd be sitting at the children's table located towards the back of the room. That's where Rory was assigned to sit. That's where conversation wouldn't be dull as a doornail. That table was far away from Emily Gilmore.

Instead, Lorelai was placed at the center table, where her mother and father sat. She frowned when she realized she'd have to cross everyone's line of vision to get to her seat, which was the only empty chair in the room.

But instead, Lorelai realized she'd draw less attention to herself if she stood off to the side until the speech was over.

So not two minutes later, when Catherine stepped away from the podium, Lorelai took the opportunity to scurry off to her seat. When she looked up at the table, Emily's cold, hard stare that was masked by a warm smile and clapping hands, met Lorelai's eyes.

'Crap, crap, crap,' Lorelai thought.

While keeping her stare on Lorelai, Emily subtly reached over and pulled out the chair next to her. Lorelai sighed at the scene.

"You're late," Emily stated firmly, her voice low.

"Traffic."

"Where's Rory?"

"Sick," Lorelai answered while taking her seat.

"Sick?" Emily questioned with raised brows.

"Yup," Lorelai confirmed while avoiding her mother's questioning eyes.

"Fine," Emily dismissed. Then, with a voice of normal volume and her face cheerful, she gestured to the man next to Lorelai.

"Henry, this is my daughter, Lorelai. Lorelai, this is Catherine's son, Henry. You've met Catherine. We've been members of the D.A.R for ages."

"Lorelai, it's very nice to finally meet you. Your mother's told me so much about you," Henry said through a pleasant smile.

Lorelai nodded, her smile not nearly as bright as Henry's. "Yeah, you too."

"Henry works at a highly respected law firm in Boston," Emily piped in.

"I was promoted to partner last month," the man added through a sly grin.

"Partner? Well, isn't that something," Lorelai murmured.

Before another word could be said, a small group of waiters arrived at the table with steaming plates in their hands.

"So, what about you, Lorelai?" Henry asked as plates appeared in front of them. "Your mother tells me you're the head manager of a large Inn close to Hartford. I'll be that's a demanding job. Which Inn do you run? Maybe I've heard of it."

"Oh, it's a fairly new establishment; I'm sure you haven't," Emily waved off before her daughter had a chance to answer.

Lorelai turned to her mother with furrowed brows.

"Well, anyway, we're at a party; who needs to talk about work," Henry waved off while grabbing his fork.

"Yeah, who needs to talk about work," Lorelai repeated suspiciously, her stare glued to her mother.

"I'd much rather talk about food. Like this chicken parmesan. You know, they have the best Italian food at Angelina's. Have you ever been there? Its just blocks from here."

"No, can't say I have," Lorelai answered while turning to her plate.

"Their baked ziti is outta this world. Do you like baked ziti?"

Lorelai huffed a short breath while dropping her fork to her plate, then looking up at the man next to her.

"Let me stop you right there, Henry. You seem like a nice guy, and with the big shot lawyer, recently promoted to partner thing- awesome. But I'm seeing someone. Have been for months now. I'm taken. Spoken for. Off the market. So while I appreciate what I think you're trying to do with the baked ziti advertisement, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."

Henry's brows quirked in confusion. "But Emily said-"

"Emily," Lorelai started harshly while turning to her mother, "needs to realize when to butt out of other people's business. Emily knows I'm seeing someone."

With her chin high, Emily said, "How was I to know you're still involved with the diner man? You don't bother to keep me up to date on your romantic life, let alone your personal life. Since you hadn't mentioned him in a while, I assumed he was a thing of the past."

"I don't talk to you on a regular basis, mother. Of course he wasn't mentioned. Nothing was mentioned."

"Just because you are still with that greasy, flannel man, doesn't mean you shouldn't explore better options. You know perfectly well he isn't a suitable man for you to marry. I don't know why you continue to waste your time with him. Henry is a handsome, young, successful bachelor with excellent breeding. You should be paying attention to men like him."

"Can't argue with you there, Emily. I am a handsome, young successful bachelor with excellent breeding," he added through a large smile.

Lorelai gave Henry a look of disbelief. The man was apart of some weird, sick, twisted love auction and he was perfectly okay with it. He was more than okay; he was giddy about it.

"So, what do you say, Lorelai? I'm happy to be one of those options you should explore."

"See," Emily pointed out gloatingly.

Lorelai stared at Henry for a moment, wondering if he was serious. When it took her just seconds to realize he was, Lorelai grabbed her purse from her lap and got to her feet.

"I came; I showed my face; I left you a gift; I tried the chicken; I'm leaving."

"Lorelai!" Emily called in a loud whisper.

The Gilmore in question turned, but didn't take a step back to the table.

"And you wanna know something? Rory isn't sick. She's with Luke- you know, the greasy, flannel diner man you so lovingly described before. They went on a trip yesterday. An over-night trip. That's why she isn't here."

Emily's eyes widened and her jaw nearly fell to the table. Meanwhile, Richard was too oblivious, too invested in a conversation with his colleague to realize what was going on.

With a satisfied smile on her face, Lorelai turned on her heel and left.

_Stars Hollow_

Sookie wasn't shocked or surprised when she got a call from Lorelai not 30 minutes after the party started. She, and most of the town, knew Lorelai didn't get along too well with her parents. She hardly saw them, only visiting Hartford a number of times a year for Rory's sake- or that was the party line. Sookie suspected there was some part of Lorelai that somewhat looked forward to those visits. Why else would she even bother going to her mom's party when Rory was miles away?

But of course things didn't go as planned. That's why Sookie was at the Rite Aid in Woodbridge at nearly 1 p.m. She couldn't shop in Stars Hollow; too many wondering eyes and listening ears.

When Sookie turned down the aisle she needed, she frowned when she discovered that she only had enough cash on her for one pregnancy test. She wanted at least two. Though word on the street was those tests were pretty darn accurate.

Sookie went to call Lorelai, but her friend's phone went straight to voicemail.

Through a nervous frown, Sookie grabbed one test, then hurried to the counter. She felt like everyone was watching her.

_Sookie's_

"Okay, I drank enough coffee to fill up a giant swimming pool, and then some; I have to pee like you wouldn't believe!" Lorelai called while rushing through the house.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Sookie asked while popping from the kitchen.

"Ready or not, here comes the pee, so stick, please, before I change my mind."

Sookie nodded. She ran back to the kitchen, swiped the test from the table, and then hurried back to Lorelai who then took off for the bathroom. It was like a pass the baton relay race.

"I'll be right out here when you're done!"

"Thanks, Sook!" Lorelai shouted.

While her friend was busy in the bathroom, Sookie paced the living room. She couldn't sit still. She was nervous. A stranger looking in would think it was Sookie who was taking the test, but the chef was just a jittery person by nature.

Not a minute later and Sookie nearly jumped from her skin when the bathroom door swung open.

"Well? What did it say?" Sookie asked anxiously.

"Takes a few minutes," Lorelai answered dully.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Lorelai sighed while falling to the couch. "I wish it was automatic or something. I don't like waiting. Waiting and I don't get along. At all."

"And we want it to be negative, right?"

"Yes, we want it to be negative," Lorelai replied firmly. "Just think negative. Maybe if we both think hard enough, our combined will power will make it turn out that way."

"I don't think it works that way, sweetie," Sookie reasoned sympathetically.

Lorelai gave a sad nod while leaning back against the cushions. "I can't believe I'm doing this again. I'm waiting on a pregnancy test. I just… how did this happen? It was one time. One time I don't use something. Other wise I'm locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Mother nature's a bitch."

"I know," Sookie agreed while frowning. "But you haven't been feeling sick, right?"

"I didn't get sick until my second trimester with Rory."

"Oh," Sookie realized as her frown grew. "Well, are you craving any weird foods?"

"No weirder than usual."

"That's good!" Sookie exclaimed, the woman latching on to any tiny ray of hope there was.

Lorelai shrugged. "Maybe we should talk about something else. A distraction would be really good right about now."

"Oh! I know! I have pie! You want pie? What am I saying! Of course you want pie!" Sookie cheered while zooming to the kitchen.

"No, no pie! I'm too nervous for pie!"

"How 'bout cookies? I made chocolate chip and pecan ones this morning!"

"No thanks!"

"Ice cream? Got rocky road!"

Lorelai smiled a little. "Thank you for trying to feed me, but I feel like I could vomit any second now, so I don't think eating is a good idea."

"Right, right. What was I thinking? Stupid, stupid," Sookie cursed while slapping her hand to her forehead.

"Save me some cookies, though. And a giant slice of pie… may as well leave some ice cream too. I know where you live; I'll be back for it."

Sookie smiled.

Lorelai's lips curved a bit as she looked to the clock. Not two minutes had gone by.

"I swear, time is going by slower than a turtle crossing the street and it's moving at an unbelievably slow pace on purpose. It knows I'm waiting on something big, and important that could change my life, and it's trying to make me suffer. Time is evil, pure evil."

"I can put the T.V on. Would that help?"

Lorelai nodded. "Nothing involving babies of the human, insect or animal variety please."

Sookie nodded and her smile grew as she flipped through the channels. When she landed on Full House, Lorelai said stop.

"Really?" Sookie asked through a wince. "John Stamos is kinda cute, but really?"

"Ever since Michelle learned to talk it went downhill. Now it's so bad, it's almost good. Very mock-able, which is great."

Sookie nodded and for a moment they watched in silence.

"Do you think Becky is too thin?"

"Ho yeah. If the big, bad wolf blew air her way, she'd fall over like a stack of extremely thin twigs."

Sookie giggled.

"Hey, remember Larry the mailman?"

"Who?"

"Come on, you remember. 6 or 7 years back. He always carried a whistle around his neck. He wore his socks right to his knees. Always delivered the mail annoyingly early."

"Oh yeah!" Sookie realized through wide eyes. "He _was_ always really early!"

Loreali nodded while pointing to the screen. "Rory used to think he was Danny Tanner. Whenever we'd catch him leaving our mail, she'd always call him Danny. He never corrected her though. I guess he found it cute."

"They do look a like."

"Yeah."

Silence fell between the two as they focused on the T.V. Every few seconds, Lorelai would look to the clock. The other seconds, Sookie checked the time.

"I think something's wrong with your clock."

"What?"

"Look at it. It's going so slow, slower than fricken malaises," Lorelai groaned.

"Maybe we should stop looking at it. It's like when I'm waiting for water to boil. When I stare at the pot, nothing happens. But when I walk away and do something else, it starts to boil."

"So we should do something else."

Sookie nodded.

"What should we do?"

Before Sookie could answer, a knock sounded at the front door.

Lorelai jumped in her seat while her hand flew to her racing heart. "My god," she murmured.

Meanwhile, Sookie went to the door. Her eyes widened at the person on the other side.

"Luke," she stated nervously.

"Luke?" Lorelai questioned while turning in her seat. "Luke," Lorelai repeated as her eyes widened too. "What are you doing here?"

"I dropped Rory at Lane's and saw your jeep out front. Wanted to say hi, but isn't your mother's thing today?"

"I left early."

"Oh. Problems?"

Lorelai nodded.

Luke sighed. "What happened?"

"It's nothing, not a big deal," Lorelai quickly waved off.

"You sure?" Luke asked while looking at her carefully, trying to read her expression.

"Positive; shouldn't you be at the diner? How'd you get home so fast?" Lorelai asked in one sentence.

Luke's brows furrowed. He looked from Lorelai to Sookie, the chef's face the very picture of panic.

Luke crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, what's going on?"

"What do you mean? Nothing's going on."

"That, right there- you're talking fast."

"I always talk fast. Have we met?"

"Not that fast. Something's going on."

"You're paranoid."

"And you're blocking the door like you've got gold in there."

"Maybe I do."

"Lorelai," Luke growled.

"I'm pregnant!"

Two pairs of blue eyes flew to Sookie as at the same time, Luke and Lorelai asked, "You're what?"

Sookie didn't say a word. Instead she fled the room, her eyes round with frenzy.

Luke took the opportunity to walk through the doorway. His arms fell from his chest and he leaned close to Lorelai's ear to whisper, "Did you know she was even with anyone?"

"Well, uh, I think it was a one night thing."

"Really?" Luke asked in surprised. "Sookie wouldn't have a one night stand."

"She didn't mean to, but these things happen, right?"

"Guess so," Luke murmured before Sookie came flying to the living room.

"Bathroom!" Sookie exclaimed while grabbing Lorelai's hand, then dragging her across the hall, leaving a very confused Luke alone in the living room.

"Great, now he thinks your pregnant," Lorelai whispered harshly as Sookie closed the door.

"Better then him thinking you're pregnant, right?" Sookie asked softly through a worrisome frown. "Look."

But Lorelai didn't need to look. Sookie's face gave away the results. She didn't need to see that little green plus sign to know the test came out positive.

_To Be Continued…. _

**Review? Please, and Thank you! :D**


	49. Bombs Away

So, almost two weeks- a little longer than I planned, but gah! Work, and school and work and school and work and school and yeah, that pretty much gets in the way of my writing time.

But, anyway, I won't blab on complaining, but I will say thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Much appreciated, :D.

Read on! Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 49: Bombs Away**

"Bathroom!" Sookie exclaimed while grabbing Lorelai's hand, then dragging her across the hall, leaving a very confused Luke alone in the living room.

"Great, now he thinks you're pregnant!" Lorelai whispered harshly as Sookie closed the door.

"Better than him thinking you're pregnant, right?" Sookie asked softly through a worrisome frown. "Look."

But Lorelai didn't need to look. Sookie's face gave away the results. She didn't need to see that little green plus sign to know the test came out positive.

Lorelai didn't know whether to scream or cry. She thought about doing both, but she couldn't manage to muster her voice as tears welled in her eyes.

"Aw, honey," Sookie sympathized while putting a hand to her friend's shoulder.

Lorelai shook her head furiously while pursing her lips and closing her eyes. She willed the tears away. She wouldn't cry. She couldn't. Not here, not now. Luke needed to go. She needed to go. She needed to figure out a plan.

"How good are your acting skills?"

"I can't lie to save my life," Sookie answered through a wince. "You know that," she gently reminded Lorelai.

The Gilmore nodded. "I need to think," she said while falling to the covered toilet.

"You know Luke won't run, right? He's not Chris."

"I know," Lorelai murmured while looking to her lap. "But I don't want him staying because he feels like he has to."

"He loves. you He's so crazy about you; everyone sees it."

Lorelai couldn't help a small, watery smile, but with her next thought her lips automatically curved to a frown. "I don't want things to change. He'll do the responsible thing because he's a responsible guy, but I'm sure he doesn't want this. We've never even talked about it. He clicks with Rory; I don't know how it happened, but Luke's not a kid guy. This'll freak him out. We won't be the same. We'll never be the same," Lorelai explained sadly.

Sookie nodded in understanding. She wished she could do or say something to help, to argue that Luke would be okay with it, but she knew Lorelai was right. Luke wasn't the kid type. The fact that he got along with Rory, well, the town figured it was a fluke. Everyone liked Rory. But a baby? A baby would be a different story.

Lorelai took a quick, short breath while wiping her eyes, sitting up straight, and gathering her nerve. She then got to her feet and met Sookie's eyes. "You're not pregnant. This came out negative," she said while holding up the white stick, and then tossing it to the trash can. "The Inn called my cell; they need me. That'll get Luke to leave. I need to… I don't know, clear my head, figure out what the hell I'm gonna do."

Sookie nodded, but asked, "are you sure you don't wanna stay? Drown your sorrows in a carton of Ben & Jerry's?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Thanks for being fake pregnant for me," she said while hugging her best friend.

"Anytime."

Lorelai pulled back to give Sookie a small, unsure smile.

"Call me later, okay? I have a tone of casseroles in the freezer if you need something for dinner. And if you don't want that, I can whip up something else. Pasta? Spaghetti? You love spaghetti. Or, oh, I can order a pizza! You love pizza! And then ice cream for desert, or, oh, cookies, or hey, I can make brownies! I can make a cake! Anything you want!"

Lorelai smiled further at her friend's crazy enthusiasm. "I'm so lucky to have you, Sook."

Sookie' s face melted. "I'm lucky to have you! You're gonna me cry."

"No, no, don't cry. One of us has to keep it together."

Sookie nodded seriously. "No crying."

"I'll get Luke outta here."

"Okay, and don't forget to-"

"Call you later."

"And if you need-"

"Dinner, you have food."

"And I'll-"

"Cook anything I want. I got it. Thanks, Sookie."

It wasn't easy to get Luke to leave. When Lorelai told him the Inn called, he could see she was upset. Her eyes were red and her smile was weak. He knew something was wrong, and he pressed the issue. But Lorelai quickly came up with another lie. She told Luke Sookie was upset when the test came out negative. Luke was surprised, but Lorelai brushed it off, reminding Luke that Sookie got emotional about things. She assured him that Sookie was happy with the results; it was just the shock of it all that got to her. She told him that crying was contagious; Sookie' s tears spurred water to well in her own eyes, but they were both okay. Luke accepted the explanation, but was still a bit weary. Lorelai didn't give him the chance to ask more questions though. She insisted she was needed at the Inn and managed to escape with her secret still intact.

Meanwhile, at the Kim house, Rory and Lane were sitting up in her room, quietly organizing Lane's floorboard CD collection.

"He wouldn't let me blast the radio like mom does, but the trip was still fun. Oh, and at the hotel we ordered some movies and got dinner sent to the room. Luke complained that they overcharged for everything, but he actually liked _Ferris Buller's Day Off_. He made me promise not to tell mom."

Lane smiled at her friend's evil grin. "That is a good movie."

"A classic."

"So, how was big, fancy Harvard?"

"So amazing," Rory gushed while picking up an AC/DC case and making sure the CD was inside. The girls were going through every one, making sure every CD was in its proper case. "We only saw the outside though. I still can't believe Luke wasn't mad that he drove all the way up there and I didn't wanna go in. He was so nice about it. He understood that I wanted to wait for mom. He promised we'd stop there on our next trip."

"Oh, you're going away with him again?" Lane asked while checking a Bon Jovi case.

Rory nodded and said, "Mom too. We're gonna surprise her. The plan is to tell her we're going to see Harvard, and then the next day, go the Luke's cabin. It was his dad's. It's on the way back from Harvard so Luke says it'll work out perfectly. We'll spend the weekend there. He's gonna teach me how to fish."

Lane's face crinkled up at the thought. "You wanna go fishing?"

Rory shrugged. "Luke does everything mom and I like to do, so I thought we should do something he likes- well, me anyway. I don't know if we'll be able to get mom to go fishing."

"Bribe her with coffee or something," Lane suggested.

"It'll have to be better than that. Anyway, Luke said he's gonna fix up the cabin before we go. He hasn't been up there in a while, so it needs to be cleaned and everything. He even said he's got an idea for a surprise for mom. He wants to make up for missing her birthday."

"Oh, what is it?"

"I don't know; he won't tell me," Rory grumped.

Lane frowned. "Luke doesn't really seem like the surprise kinda guy," she said while grabbing a Bryan Adam's CD.

"No, but it's for mom, I'm sure it'll be good."

Lane nodded in agreement. "So, is he gonna take you back to the Liberty Science Center since it was closed?"

"I don't know. I was supposed to go with dad, but when he left, Luke offered. So, maybe since I didn't go, dad will take me," Rory reasoned. "But I'm kinda glad it worked out this way. I wouldn't have gone on this trip with Luke if dad had made plans to take me. If that happened, we wouldn't be doing the cabin trip either."

"So, it all worked out in the end?"

"Yeah," Rory agreed through a pleased smile.

"But what about what happened with your dad? I mean he just up and left. You're not upset that he wasn't the one who took you?"

"It could still happen, and if it doesn't, I have Luke. We didn't talk about it, but I think he would take me again."

"Yeah, I think he would too," Lane agreed. "But I still can't believe your dad just left like that. He didn't even say goodbye to you. I know he's your dad, but he seems like he can be a jerk."

Rory shrugged. "Mom says it's his loss. Maybe if I didn't have Luke, I'd be more upset about it, but I do, and things are good."

Lane nodded. Small noises of opening and closing CD cases filled the next minute or so before she said, "does it sometimes feel like he's your dad?"

"Luke?"

"Yeah."

Rory nodded as a smile popped on her face.

"I bet he thinks of you as his daughter sometimes."

"When we stopped on the way home to eat, the waitress thought he was my dad. She said he was lucky to have such a beautiful daughter."

Lane thought for a second and then said, "You do have similar eyes. And you both have brown hair."

Rory smiled further.

_XOX_

After driving around aimlessly for hours, Lorelai pulled into her driveway with a gas tank nearing empty. She vowed to fill it up in the morning, before work. Right now she needed to shower. She felt tired and worn out and emotionally drained. She thought a shower might help revive her enough to talk to Rory. She wasn't ready to tell Luke, but she needed to talk about it and reasoned that Rory should know. Her daughter was her best friend and would help clear her foggy mind. Rory would assure her everything would be okay, and she needed to hear that.

After dragging her feet up the porch and into the house, Lorelai stopped in the living room to drop her purse and keys on the table. The light was beeping on the answering machine. She hit play and immediately wished she hadn't when her mother's voice filled the room.

"_I've called you twice, Lorelai, and since you refuse to take my calls, I'm forced to leave a message. I have no desire to talk to a machine, but you're leaving me no choice; you need to hear what I have to say. It was incredibly irresponsible of you to allow some strange man to whisk Rory away on an overnight trip. You shouldn't even allow him to be alone with her. There are stories all the time on the news, Lorelai, about men who rape young girls. Most of those girls wind up dead or traumatized or pregnant. But apparently you don't are what happens to your daughter. The fact that you allowed that dirty diner owner to take Rory hours away from you proves that. Accompanying children on trips is a parent's job. If you weren't able to take Rory, then Christopher should have been asked. I'm sure he'd loved to have some time with his daughter. But, no, instead you send Rory off with a man who for all we know could be a rapist or a killer… I don't understand you, Lorelai, I really don't. And while we're-" _Beep!

"Ha!" Lorelai shouted when her mother's annoying rant was cut off.

Of course not seconds later another message started to play.

"Shoulda guessed," Lorelai murmured when her mother picked up right where she left off.

"_You have a terrible answering machine if it cuts people off right in the middle of their sentence. You should purchase one that allows sufficient time for a person to leave a message."_

"Yeah, I'll get right on that."

"_Anyway, as I was saying, it was very rude of you to just get up and leave during the middle of my party. I don't know who taught you that behavior is acceptable, but it certainly wasn't me. You should learn some manners, Lorelai. And I never want to hear that you left my granddaughter alone with that filthy man again. Do you understand?"_

"Okay, I won't tell you next time."

"_Goodbye, Lorelai."_

Lorelai pressed her finger to the delete button. "End scene."

_Diner_

Luke was behind the counter using the in-between lunch and dinner lull to clean the already impeccably spotless countertop when the bells jingled, signaling a new customer. Luke looked up and a smile immediately took his face at the girl walking through the door.

"Hey, Luke," Rory greeted while heading for the counter.

"Hey. Lunch?"

"No, I ate at Lane's. But can I have some pie to go, please?" she requested sweetly.

"To go?" Luke asked, a bit of his disappointment leaking through to his expression.

"I would stay, but mom wants me home."

Luke's brows knit in confusion while he pulled the lid from the pie container. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. She said she wants to talk to me."

Luke nodded while sliding a few slices of apple pie into a to-go container. "Any idea about what?" he asked, unable to help his curiosity.

"Probably the fridge. It's getting dirty again."

"So, why can't she just clean it?"

"She will if she loses who can name that fat actor."

Luke stopped while giving her a confused look. "That's how you decide who has to clean the fridge?"

"Haven't you known us long enough to know we play games to decide things?"

"Yeah, but _that_ game?"

"Or rock, paper, scissors, or name that disease, or who can balance the most CD's on their head the longest, or who can jump up and down on the bed the most times without getting tired, or who can eat the most ice cream without throwing up, or who can-"

"Okay, I get it," Luke stopped her with a look of disgust.

Rory gave an innocent smile while accepting the desert that Luke slid across the counter. "Mom will probably want some coffee too."

Luke sighed while turning to the coffee maker.

"So, that'll be two coffees to-go please."

"No, no way," Luke denied firmly.

"But, Luke," Rory whined, sounding so much like her mother. "Mom lets me have it!"

"Yeah, and she shouldn't. You're a kid. Kids don't drink coffee."

"What about just half a cup?" She tried to bargain. "With mostly milk."

"Nope," Luke dismissed with his back to her as he prepared Lorelai's coffee. He knew it would too hard to say no to her face, to her wide blue eyes and frowning lips that reminded him so much of Lorelai's pout. "Decaf, half a cup, that's all you'll get."

Rory's sighed in defeat. "I'll take it."

Satisfied that he won the battle, Luke quickly got the coffees ready, then handed them to Rory.

"Maybe when I'm 13?"

"What?"

"When I turn 13, can I have coffee? I won't be a kid anymore; I'll be a teenager."

"Nope."

"But-"

"You should get that home before it gets cold."

Rory's shoulders slumped as she took the rest of her order and turned for the door.

With a winning smile on his face, Luke watched the youngest Gilmore leave. When she was gone from sight, he was ready to turn for the storeroom for more coffee filters when he spotted Sookie outside, crossing the street. She had a cell phone pressed to her ear, her expression a mixture of sadness and anger. Not a moment after she stepped up on the sidewalk, she plucked the phone from her ear, her frustration obvious as she crammed the phone into her purse.

Luke, being the heroic, actions kinda guy that he was, leapt right into action.

She was just passing the flower shop when Luke burst from the diner and shouted her name.

The chef stopped dead in her tracks, her heart nearly going into failure when, not five seconds later, there was a tap on her shoulder.

"I have a knife and I'm not afraid to use it!" Sookie shouted with her eyes snapped closed in her fear and her body tense.

The man rolled his eyes. "It's Luke, Sookie," he said patiently.

Sookie visibly relaxed as she turned around with a self-conscious smile on her face.

"You really have a knife?"

"What?"

"You just said you have a knife and you're not afraid to use it."

"Oh," Sookie realized through her giggles. "Well, no, I don't have a knife on me, but I have plenty at home and they're well taken care of so they're really sharp!" she boosted seriously through wide eyes.

"Maybe instead of telling me that, you should be threatening that guy with a knife."

"What guy?"

"Lorelai told me about the guy who you thought, you know… " Luke gestured to her stomach. "You thought you were pregnant," he finished awkwardly.

Sookie's eyes widened a bit as she tried to hide her panic. She didn't like where this was going.

Luke sighed. "I know it's not any of my business, but is that who you were just talking to? The guy? You seemed upset, and if he was just gonna leave you high and dry, then he's a jerk. And you know, if you want me to find him, and threaten him with one of your really sharp knives," he added through a grin, "I will. I mean what if you really were… you know, pregnant; he can't just run the other way."

Sookie took the pause in conversation to mean it was her turn to talk, but all she could manage was, "Yes, no, you're right, he can't."

Luke nodded slowly, waiting for more, but when nothing came, he said, "so, was it the guy?"

"What?"

"On the phone. If he's not supporting you, or he reacted badly or something, I mean it, I can put his head through a wall if you want me to."

Sookie had to say something, but she had no idea what to say. Panic flooded her body. She couldn't lie. She was a horrible liar. So, instead she blurted the words, "I have to go," in a barely audible rush before spinning around and running down the street in a frenzy.

To say Luke was confused would be an understatement.

_Crapshack_

When the door flew open, Lorelai was pacing the living room.

"Finally, what took you so- Luke."

Luke dropped his keys on the arm of the couch before focusing his hard stare on Lorelai's shocked filled eyes.

"I thought you were Rory," Lorelai barely murmured while wrapped her arms around her middle.

"You didn't tell me the truth earlier," he said without question. "Something's going on."

"What?"

"At Sookie's," he said impatiently. "You made that pregnant thing up, right? What the hell's going on?" he demanded.

"Nothing," she answered quickly.

"You're hiding something. Why did you lie to me? Why were you crying? Why is Sookie acting weird? Why-"

He stopped. His eyes grew wide. The biggest, brightest light bulb went off in his head.

Pregnant. Crying. Lorelai… it wasn't Sookie.

His heart raced in his chest and his eyes moved to her belly that she kept hidden behind folded arms.

Lorelai grew more and more anxious with every passing silent second. Her arms tightened around her tummy.

"Are you…?"

Lorelai barely nodded while biting down on her lower lip.

Luke's eyes widened further, if that were possible.

Neither adult had the chance to say another word as Rory came through the open front door.

"Sorry I took so long, I- What's going on?" Rory asked, her eyes immediately filled with curiosity as she looked between Lorelai and Luke. "Mom?" she questioned.

"Diapers," Luke suddenly said.

"What?" Rory asked.

Luke didn't answer; instead he turned around and fled the house, barely remembering to swipe his keys on the way out.

"Why did Luke say diapers, and why did he leave like that?" Rory demanded.

Lorelai sighed as her head fell.

"Mom?" Rory pressed.

Lorelai looked up at her daughter, managing a weak smile as she gestured to the couch. "We need to talk."

_To Be Continued…_

**Soooo, what do you think? Review? I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**Thanks for reading! :D**

**Up Next- 'Smug Marrieds & Jam Hands' – Chapter 3 **


	50. One Curve Ball After Another

And we've reached 50, yay! *_Does happy dance*_

So, speedy update; don't you all love me for getting this up so fast? :D I just couldn't focus on the Vietnam war until I wrote this. Hell, even I wasn't interested to see how Luke would react to the situation. So I put aside my homework and out came a new chapter. (I know I promised a new **'Smug Marrieds & Jam Hands,'** but fear not readers; an update is on it's away and should arrive safely by Sunday.)

Before you get to the good stuff, a huge, gigantic thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Love you guys!

Read on! Enjoy!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 50: One Curve Ball After Another**

_CrapShack_

Pregnant. Crying. Lorelai… it wasn't Sookie.

His heart raced in his chest and his eyes moved to her belly that she kept hidden behind folded arms.

Lorelai grew more and more anxious with every passing silent second. Her arms tightened around her tummy.

"Are you…?"

Lorelai barely nodded while biting down on her lower lip.

Luke's eyes widened further, if that were possible.

Neither adult had the chance to say another word as Rory came through the open front door.

"Sorry I took so long, I- What's going on?" Rory asked, her eyes immediately filled with curiosity as she looked between Lorelai and Luke. "Mom?" she questioned.

"Diapers," Luke suddenly said.

"What?" Rory asked.

Luke didn't answer; instead he turned around and fled the house, barely remembering to swipe his keys on the way out.

"Why did Luke say diapers, and why did he leave like that?" Rory demanded.

Lorelai sighed as her head fell.

"Mom?" Rory pressed.

Lorelai looked up at her daughter, managing a weak smile as she gestured to the couch. "We need to talk."

_XOX_

"You're pregnant?" Rory asked in awe.

Lorelai nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Not a thousand percent, but yeah, sweetie, looks that way."

A moment of silence passed, Rory using the quiet to digest the news.

"Say something, please," Lorelai begged.

"Are we moving?"

Through furrowed brows, Lorelai asked, "what?"

"You're having a baby, so we'll need a bigger house, right? There's only two bedrooms here, and your closet isn't big enough to fit Luke's stuff and yours, so we should find a bigger house," Rory reasoned logically.

Lorelai was taken back; the thought hadn't even occurred to her. "Oh, well, I don't know… I guess that's something we'll have to talk about."

"I wonder if you'll have a boy or a girl," Rory murmured thoughtfully. "I hope it's a girl. It would be so cool to have a little sister," the pre-teen gushed.

Lorelai could barely smile. "So you're okay with all this?"

"I guess it'll be weird when I'm not an only child anymore, but that's okay. I'll just have to hog all your attention now before the baby comes and I'm not your only kid anymore," Rory teased, though Lorelai could hear her daughter's concern.

Lorelai put a kiss to Rory's cheek before curving her lips to a reassuring smile and saying, "You're my first baby; you mean the world to me. That won't ever change."

Rory put her head to her mom's shoulder and asked, "Never ever?"

Lorelai smiled while finding Rory's hand and twining their fingers together. "Never ever, ever."

_XOX_

"Wait, what?"

"Mom and Luke are having a baby."

"Oh my God!" Lane gasped. "What'd she say? What'd he say? What'd you say?" she fired quickly.

With a frown on her face, Rory said, "Mom seems okay, but I don't know about Luke. I don't think he was mad or anything, but he left."

"So, your mom told him and he just left? He didn't say anything?"

Rory shrugged. "I came home after she told him. All I know is he looked kinda freaked out," she explained through a wince. "But he did say something about diapers," she murmured.

"Diapers?"

Rory just shrugged. "I told mom I'd stay home with her, but she knows we have plans to go to BWR and she wouldn't let me cancel them," the pre-teen grumped.

"Well, maybe you should go home anyway," Lane suggested.

"No. She seemed like she really wanted to be alone, and she's already worried about Luke so I don't wanna upset her or anything."

"I can't believe your mom's having a baby."

"Me either."

"Are you excited?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm really nervous about Luke."

Lane nodded in understanding. "It is really big news though; maybe he just needs some time."

"Yeah, I hope so."

Lane sighed while standing from her bed to check the clock. "Movie starts in five minutes. Do you feel like going? Or do you wanna do something else?"

"Well, there is something I need your help with."

"Will it get us outta the house?"

Rory nodded.

"Then let's go."

XOX

"Good thing no one really hangs out here."

Rory nodded in agreement as she dropped a stack of newspapers to the bridge. Lane followed suit, and together they sat down on the old, creaky bridge, their legs dangling over the edge as they each grabbed a copy of the paper.

"So, just in Stars Hollow, right?"

"Yeah. Something with 3 bedrooms. Or 2 big ones. I can always share with the baby."

"Got it," Lane said while opening to the real estate section.

Silence fell between the girls as they focused their attention on the task at hand. Rory's brows were knit in fierce concentration as she surveyed every listing while Lane followed each ink- filled line with her pen and careful eyes so she wouldn't miss anything.

"Oh, here's one!" Lane said enthusiastically. "It's on Peach."

"Right down the block from the diner. That's good," Rory said while leaning close to Lane.

"Two story, 3 bedrooms, 1 and a half bath. It has a spacious living room, newly renovated kitchen, master bedroom with attached full bath," Lane read from the AD. "Finished basement with laundry room. Small back yard, but open front yard with healthy green lawn. Open house June 13th and June 20th. The 13th, isn't that today?" Lane asked.

Rory nodded. "What time does it start?"

"Umm," Lane started while looking back to the paper. "It started at 12, ends at 4."

Rory looked to her watch to find that it was just after 2. She then looked to Lane who hopped to her feet.

"We'll hide the papers over there," Rory said while pointing to a couple of trees.

"Should we take one? Incase the house isn' t good?"

Rory nodded.

"Okay, got it."

"Help me hide these."

Lane nodded and quickly the girls buried the newspapers between bushes and trees before hurrying to Peach Street.

_Crapshack_

"I don't know, Sook," Lorelai reported through a sigh. "I don't blame him if he's shocked; believe me, I'm still shocked, but I just hope after said shock wares off, that he's okay with all this… Oh, yeah, I should probably make an appointment," Lorelai agreed while leaning back against her headboard. "Okay, yeah, I'll- oh, beeping, someone's calling me. I'll call you later, okay… yeah, love you too. Bye."

Quickly, Lorelai switched to the other call and said, "hello?"

"_I know leaving without saying goodbye to my kid doesn't make me father of the year, but why the hell did you let him take her?"_

Lorelai's brows furrowed at the accusation. "Chris?"

"_I made plans to take her to the museum, Lorelai, you know that. Why did you let him do it?"_

Lorelai sighed a frustrated breath while closing her eyes. "I can't do this right now, Christopher; I have bigger problems to deal with."

"_Damn it, Lor, you didn't even give me a chance! You let that guy take her so now he gets to look like the hero and I look like the jerk. Thanks a lot."_

"How the hell did you even find out anyway?" Lorelai demanded.

"_Emily."_

"Emily?"

"_She thought I should know you let some guy who isn't Rory's dad take her away over night,"_ Chris explained, as if the idea disgusted him and sounded completely ridiculous.

"Really, Chris? You're _really_ trying to pretend that you care? Just stop."

"_Hey, I do care!" he defended. "That trip was my idea. I brought it up to Rory. I told her I would take her over the summer, I-"_

"You said you _might_ take her; God, Chris you always do that! You make plans with her, plans that have no concrete commitments behind them, then you bail at the last second, leaving Rory heartbroken. Well, I'm sorry, but I thought I'd prevent that from happening this time. I'm sick of watching my daughter get hurt because you can't keep your promises. I wasn't gonna let Rory miss out on this trip because you can't step up and be a reliable father. Luke wanted to take her; he was more than willing to go, so I let him. You don't like that, tough. I don't care. I have to go."

Before Chris could say another word, Lorelai ended the call then threw the phone across the room. It hit the vanity, the collision knocking tubes of lip-gloss and eye linger to the floor. The battery fell from the back.

Lorelai pressed a pillow to her face, and then screamed as loud as she could. After vocalizing her frustrations, she burrowed underneath the blanket, wanting to the hide from the world. She curled up in a ball, not a stitch of skin in sight as she prayed for reality to disappear.

_XOX_

"Wait!"

"What?"

The girls were about to round the corner when just two houses down from the one that was for sale, Rory spotted Patty and the new girl. Cheyenne was obviously trying to get away from Patty as little by little she inched her way to the front door with her mail in hand, but the dance teacher wouldn't let her go.

While using a bush for cover, Lane said, "Miss Patty should be a detective or something. She's always all over new people, asking a million questions."

"We can't go," Rory said sadly.

"Why?"

"She'll see us," Rory said while gesturing to the two women. "I don't wanna have to answer Patty if she asks why we're looking at a house that's for sale. It'll get all over town and just make mom more stressed out when she finds out everyone is gossiping about her."

"Oh, yeah, good point," Lane agreed. "Well, there's an open house next weekend too. We can try back then. It's on Sunday so we can just come early, while everyone' s in church."

"You're part of 'everyone'."

"What?"

"You'll be in church too, remember?"

"Oh, right," Lane realized through a growing frown.

"I'll go myself."

"Are you sure?"

Rory nodded.

"You could just tell your mom and Luke about it, and they can come back next week."

"No, I wanna look at it first. I don't want them wasting their time if the house isn't good. That'll just be more stress."

Lane nodded while pushing her hands from her knees and standing up right. "So abort mission?"

"Abort mission."

_XOX_

After enough time had gone by where Lorelai would think she and Lane had seen a movie, Rory hurried home. When she reached the crapshack, she burst through the door calling her mom's name, but receiving no answer in return.

"Mom?" Rory said, her voice filled with curiosity as she climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Not seconds before turning to her mom's bedroom, Rory was ready to call Lorelai's name, but stopped when through a slit she saw an unmoving lump underneath the blanket.

Rory's frown furthered as she carefully pushed the door opened and walked into the room. She stopped at the edge of the bed to peel the covers back just enough to see that Lorelai was asleep. Like a mother tucking in a small child, Rory left a kiss to Lorelai's cheek, and then settled the blanket to her shoulder. Once Rory was satisfied that Lorelai had more than a peephole to breath through, she cuddled up to her mom's side while taking her hand.

Not minutes later, Rory was asleep.

_XOX_

Lorelai awoke with a start. Her body sprang to consciousness without warning; though unbeknown to Lorelai, her eyes opened because her sleeping mind heard a car coming up the driveway.

With a foggy mind, Lorelai leaned on her elbows to survey the situation. She was in her room. Everything was just as she left it, though when she looked to her right, she was surprised to find her daughter lying next to her. Further confusion was ready to envelope her hazy thoughts when it all came flooding back.

Pregnancy Test. Positive. Luke.

"Luke," Lorelai breathed at the thought of his name.

Lorelai was ready to fall back to the mattress in defeat when she heard a noise outside.

Lorelai waited a beat, and when she heard nothing further, she swung her legs to the ground and wondered to the window.

The scene she found made her eyes widen, her blue orbs swirling with shock and confusion.

_XOX_

The sun was just begin to dip in the sky with the hour past six as Lorelai hurried from her porch and to Luke's truck that was parked behind her jeep. The big, green truck whose bed was overfilled with items that nearly spilled from the edge.

"Oh, hey."

Lorelai turned to the voice to find Luke coming from her open garage. She then realized that was the sound she heard- the garage door opening.

Lorelai eyed Luke carefully as he circled to the back of his truck to open the door.

"Mind if I put all this in your garage?" Luke asked while jerking his chin to the trunk. "I was gonna take the smaller stuff back with me, but there's more room in there than I thought."

Lorelai was sure confusion was written all over her face, but apparently her expression wasn't clue enough for Luke.

"Lorelai?"

The Gilmore blinked her gaze from the trunk. "What? Yeah?"

Luke looked at her strangely while hoisting a double pack of baby wipes to each hip. "You okay?"

Lorelai's brows furrowed further as she looked between the truck and Luke. "I…you… how did-I need to sit down," she gave in while falling to the porch.

"You look tired. I'll make you some tea as soon as I finish unloading this," Luke promised while continuing to the garage.

"Hey, wait, no, come back here!"

Luke turned and asked, "yeah?"

Lorelai gave him an 'are you serious?' look. "What is the hell is going on?"

"What?"

"This, you, that!" she exclaimed while pointing to him, the garage, and his truck.

Luke was still confused. "What?"

Lorelai sighed in frustration. "Why did you buy that?" she asked while gesturing to what he was holding.

Luke looked down to his sides through a frowning face. "Did I get the wrong ones? Damn it, the guy at the store said this is what I needed. Stupid kid. He probably didn't know what the hell he was talking about. I'll take it back and while I'm there, I'll get that lousy punk fired."

Lorelai jumped up from the porch to stop Luke from dumping the wipes to the trunk. "They're the right ones," she said, her voice soft as she took each box from him and gently placed the items back with the others. "So, let me get this straight. I tell you I'm pregnant and you run out and buy everything we'll need from birth to toddlerhood- possibly beyond that."

Luke shrugged. "We'll need it all eventually, right?" he reasoned.

A slow smiled curved Lorelai's lips. "Yeah, we will."

"So, I figured I'd get it all now so it's here when the baby comes, and we don't have to worry about it."

Lorelai nodded a bit before turning to the trunk. She carefully dug her way through bottles and jumbo diaper bags to find a baby seat with chains on either end.

"What's this?"

Luke peaked over the truck and said, "Swing. I got some rope at my place. I can tie it to the ends of the chains then loop 'em around your tree. I was looking at it before; seems sturdy enough. But don't' worry, I'll make sure the tree is strong enough before we put the baby in it."

"I can't believe you got all this. It must have cost a fortune," Lorelai murmured in awe.

Luke just brushed the notation off with a shrug. "I've always saved money; gotta spend it eventually, right?"

"Whatever the cost, I'll give you half, at least."

"Lorelai-"

"No, Luke. You find out your girlfriend is pregnant and this is how you react? You go and spend buckets of money on stuff we'll need for the baby. I just... I don't know what to say. You should be freaking out right now. You should be hiding from me. You should be planning your escape, but instead you buy enough diapers to last a lifetime… what the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded softly.

"I'm not going anywhere," Luke argued firmly.

"Why are you just okay with all this?"

"I'm scared shitless, Lorelai, but this is what it is, and we'll deal with it. It was gonna happen eventually; now is just sooner than we planned, but we'll make it work. I got all this crap now so it's one less thing we have to worry about later. I'm just trying to make this easier for you."

"Sooner than we planned?" Lorelai questioned.

"Yeah," Luke answered carefully. "Unless there's something you're not telling me."

"No, not that, but- you were planning this? I mean in your head, this was part of the plan? Having a baby was part of the plan?"

"Well, yeah; wasn't it?"

"I don't' know. I guess I didn't know that you saw a baby as part of the plan. I didn't know that you wanted a baby to be part of the plan," she explained.

"I do okay with Rory, don't I?"

"Yeah, of course, but-"

"So, I'll do okay with a baby. I didn't know how to be around a kid before Rory, but I figured it out, and I'll figure out how to be with a baby. People are together; eventually they have a baby. It's what you're supposed to do. It's what I want. You show me how to take care of a baby and I'll learn. I'll be there every step of the way."

"Oh, boy," Lorelai murmured while putting her hand to her forehead. "Here I was freaking out because I thought you were freaking out but meanwhile you were running around buying diapers and bibs and baby toys and… what a long day this has been," she finished, her tone filled with wonder and exhaustion.

"Come here, sit down," Luke said while guiding her to the lower porch step.

Luke wrapped his arm around her shoulder and Lorelai sighed while falling to his side.

A moment of silence passed before she said, "I can't believe you did this," her voice an awed whisper.

Luke kissed her forehead and said with a firm voice, "I am all in, Lorelai. I always will be."

Lorelai tipped her chin up to say, "even when I have a big, fat belly, and huge, swollen ankles and mood swings comin' out the wazhoo?"

Luke grinned and said, "even then."

Lorelai smiled while tucking her face to his chest. "You're just a fool who went and fell in love, aren't you? Poor Luke; you shoulda listened to the song. If you were smart, you'd let me go."

"Well, call me dumb 'cause I'm never lettin' you go."

Lorelai smiled while turning to his flannel-covered chest. Luke held a bit tighter while tucking some loose curls behind her ear. "You eat dinner yet?"

"No," her muffled voice answered.

"I'll get all this unpacked, then bring you and Rory some burgers, okay?"

Lorelai smiled while pulling back. "Okay."

"Okay," Luke agreed through a sigh while pushing to his feet.

"I'll help you, we'll get it done faster," Lorelai offered while standing.

"Nothing bigger than this," Luke said while lifting a box.

"I'm capable of carrying something heavier than baby wipes, Mr. Macho."

Luke sighed. "Just-nothing to heavy," he requested.

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai agreed while plucking a rattle from the pile. "This light enough?"

Luke rolled his eyes.

Through a smirk, Lorelai went to reach for a bag of diapers when a ringing telephone stopped her.

"Christopher, I swear, that better not be you," Lorelai cursed in a harsh murmur as she hurried into the house.

Through furrowed brows, Luke headed to the garage to drop off a bouncy seat. Before he could put it down, Lorelai came rushing from the house while shouting his name.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Your mistress needs you."

"What?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Some hysterical chick is asking for you. What have I said about your girlfriends calling my house? No booty calls on my phone," she grumped.

"Crazy woman," Luke grumbled while taking the phone. "Hello… Liz?... How the hell did you get this number?" After hearing an explanation, Luke pulled from the phone from his lips to whisper to Lorelai, "remind me to fire Caesar."

The Gilmore nodded while a grin spread her lips.

"Wait, what? Slow down, Liz, I can't-He what?" Luke exclaimed, the tone of his voice causing concern to cover Lorelai's face. "Damn it, Liz, I can't believe you let this happen again!… I warned you about him, but you didn't listen! You never listen to me and now look what happened!... How long do you have?" Luke demanded impatiently. "Tomorrow? Why the hell didn't you call me sooner?... Yeah, I'm pissed, because you always let this happen, and you always call me at the last second! I always drop everything to help you, but you never do a damn thing to help yourself!… Yeah, fine, I'm on my way… yeah, you're always sorry. Bye."

"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked the second he hung up.

"I have to go to New York."

"What? Why?"

"That was my sister," Luke explained angrily. "She needs money. The loser she was dating broke up with her and stole all her cash. She's getting kicked outta her apartment tomorrow."

"Oh my God," Lorelai panicked through wide eyes. "What can I do? Is there anything I can do?"

Luke shook his head while reaching to adjust his ball cap. "I have to find her and Jess a new place. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

Lorelai nodded, a frown on her face as she asked. "Jess is her son?"

Luke nodded. "I'll unpack all that, then I have to go. You'll be okay for dinner?"

"Yeah, yeah don't worry about it."

"Okay," Luke murmured while turning back to the truck.

Lorelai sighed.

_TBC…_

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	51. Just Another Manic Monday

Yeah, yeah, this one's short, but fast update, so, yay? :D

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews!

Enjoy! Read on!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 51: Just Another Manic Monday**

_Stars Hollow_

With a soft smile on her face, Lorelai snuck up on her best friend. Without a word, she taped Sookie' shoulder. Big mistake.

A very sharp blade sliced Sookie's index finger; the chef screamed in pain and the kitchen flew into chaos- organized chaos.

The kitchen staff had too much experience dealing with injuries- 98 percent of which injuries belonging to Sookie.

_XOX_

"I'm sorry!" Lorelai apologized for the thousandth time.

Sookie just waved her off, a large smile on her face as she held a small towel securely around her finger. "Don't forget to show me that surprise! I'm dying to know what it is!"

"Aw, Sook, it's nothing special," Lorelai argued through a wincing frown as she followed Kaylee and Adam to the Inn's company van. It was Adam's turn to drive, and Kaylee's to accompany Sookie in the back seat. "What the hell was I thinking sneaking up on you?"

"We'll check in later, Lorelai," kaylee promised while sliding open the passenger door as Adam walked around to the driver's side.

"Call me after you speak to the doctor."

Kaylee nodded in agreement before hopping in the back seat after Sookie got herself situated. Once Kaylee was in, Lorelai pulled the door closed and off they went.

"Just another manic Monday," Lorelai murmured.

_XOX_

_Manhattan_

The apartment Liz had been living in for the past six months didn't come close to those high Upper East Side standards, but it was decent. It was cheap. There were no bugs or mice. The middle school was just around the block. And though Liz hated her sales job at Duane Reade, the store was merely three blocks from her apartment building, making for an easy daily commute.

Each month, Liz hardly made enough money to supply food and rent, but she was okay with just barely living from paycheck to paycheck. In the past, Liz had always tried to get ahead, but could never swing it, even when Luke gave her money. But for the last three months, she managed to find a nice niche in the dog walking business. She walked enough dogs three times a week that she was able to save most of that money. She wanted to be like her brother. She wanted to prove to Luke that she could save up her money and earn a better place to live, maybe even a home. Her goal was to at least someday get something big enough where Jess could have his own room. But then she met Tony.

Tony Damon was a young, handsome man who rolled through town on a Harley at the start of spring. Liz was working behind her usual cash register at the store one afternoon when a man with messy blond hair whose green eyes were lit with adventure and danger walked in wanting a pack of cigarettes.

At the end of the day, Tony offered Liz a lift home. From the kitchen window, a frown took Jess's face when he saw his mom on the back of a motorcycle that he had no doubt was being driven by a loser. They were always losers.

Jess didn't voice his opinions on Tony. He didn't complain about the smoking or that Tony always finished the last of the milk and left the empty cartons in the fridge. He didn't' say it bothered him to wake up every morning to a half naked man sprawled on their couch with a beer in his hand. Jess kept his mouth shut, having learned at a very young age that despite what he said or did, Liz would always do what she wanted to do.

Summer eventually arrived. Jess came home from school one day and was glad to see that for once, Tony's motorcycle wasn't parked out front. He was relieved by the thought that his mom had finally broken up with Tony. Things would get back to normal. And even though normalcy wasn't always so good, it wasn't a complete train wreck all the time.

Jess hurried up to the apartment as was surprised to find Liz's purse on the kitchen table. Jess called her name while wondering down the hall. He found the bathroom light on and the door wide open. There was Liz, curled to a ball on the floor with an open envelope sitting beside her feet.

"What the hell happened?" the 13 year old demanded. "Why are you crying?"

"Gone, all gone. He took it all," Luz blubbered.

Jess's eyes widened as he plucked the envelope to find that it was empty.

Nine hundred and forty six dollars, gone.

"Call Luke."

_XOX_

Liz put off making the call to her brother for as long as she could, but when she realized Tony had swiped the month's rent money she had hidden beneath the mattress in addition to her savings, she knew she had no choice. She had to call Luke. And like he always did, her big brother promised to be there as soon as he could.

Late Sunday night, Luke parked in a ridiculously expensive garage two blocks from Liz's apartment; he didn't have the patience to look for a spot and doubted one close to her building was even open anyway.

Just after nine p.m. Luke hurried to room 20G. It was on the second floor. When he reached the door, he knocked impatiently and not two seconds later, Jess swung it open.

"Where is she?"

"Shower."

"We need to pack. We leave in the morning."

Jess nodded. He turned down the hall, pulled a few suitcases from underneath the bed and together they packed while not a word was said between them.

Ten minutes later, Liz came out of the shower, steam pouring from the bathroom as over and over again, she apologized to Luke. He didn't want to hear it though. It was the same song and dance every time.

Eventually, Luke got his sister to quit yapping. He sent Liz to the kitchen to box up everything she wanted to take from that room.

It was after eleven when they finished packing the apartment. If Luke wasn't so tired he would have left with them then, but he couldn't help but fall to the couch in exhaustion when they were done. It was a long day that finally caught up to him.

_XOX_

Morning came and even without the help of an alarm, Luke stirred around five a.m. Liz and Jess were still sleeping as he grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet, the box of food the only item they didn't pack.

It took Luke twenty minutes to put the boxes in his truck, which he moved in front of a h=fire hydrant, not caring about the risk of a parking ticket. Instead he slapped the hazard lights on and hurried to get every box to the trunk.

When Luke was finished, he woke Liz and Jess. Not 30 minutes later and they were on the road.

_Stars Hollow_

It was around eight thirty when Lisa sent Lorelai off to deliver mail from the Inn to their insurance company. Lorelai was all too eager to go, her bright attitude not one she normally held when set to run an errant, but being bummed over Luke and bummed over Sookie, Lorelai was glad for the break.

Lorelai made sure to hurry at the post office so she could stop by the diner; she needed coffee. Though as she approached Luke's, a frown grew to her face when she realized Luke didn't make the day's coffee. He wouldn't be there.

Or so she thought.

While passing Dooses, Lorelai saw that familiar green truck pull up in front of the diner. A smile instantly popped on her face. But not ten seconds later, her smile was gone.

"Where the hell did you think I was going, Liz?" an angry Luke demanded while slamming the driver's door closed. "I can't make an apartment magically appear over night, so unless you wanna live out on the street for a while, you'll have to settle for Stars Hollow," he said while gesturing to the diner.

Lorelai watched the scene through a curious frown as a blond haired, kind of hippie looking chick slid from the car, followed by a brown haired boy who looked to be about Rory's age. The kid didn't say a word as he went to pull a duffel bag from the back of the truck.

"Okay, okay, lighten up," the woman who Lorelai assumed was Liz, said while joining the boys at the trunk. "I'm just saying that last summer you got us a place real quick, that's all."

"Yeah, _last summer_. We had two days before you had to leave, and I got lucky. I passed a building with empty rooms on my way to you. If you had called me sooner, maybe you wouldn't have to be here, but of course you wait 'till the last minute."

"No big deal, big brother," Liz waved off. "It'll be good to see the old neighborhood again anyway. I can show Jess around, and hey, is Carrie still here? Man we had so much fun in high school!" Liz boosted excitedly while heading into the diner.

Lorelai couldn't hear Luke's reaction, as they disappeared away from earshot.

With her body begging for caffeine, and her mind itching to find out what was going on, Lorelai hurried to the diner. She practically burst inside, the noise she made causing everyone to look at her, even Luke who was behind the counter. Alone. Jess and Liz were gone.

"Hi," Lorelai said when Luke's eyes met hers.

Without a word, Luke turned to the coffee maker. He grabbed her favorite oversized mug from the cabinet and filled it to the rim as Lorelai took her usual seat at the counter.

Without even tasting the coffee, Lorelai knew it was different; she could smell the aroma- or lack there of. During normal circumstances, she would've put up a fight, but she could see that Luke was in no mood for a sparring match.

After taking a small sip of coffee, Lorelai tried to hide her wince when her suspicions of decaf were confirmed, but she failed miserably. Luckily, Luke was too preoccupied to notice.

"So, you're back early. Thought you'd be gone a while."

Through a sigh, Luke said, "As soon as I find a place, I'll have to leave again to help them move."

Lorelai nodded in understanding. "Are you looking for something local?"

"Nope. Liz likes the city, and I like her in the city. She gives me enough problems hours away; I don't need her within walking distance."

"Right," Lorelai murmured. "Is she staying in your apartment with you until you find something?"

"Yup."

"Well, if you want I can probably get her a room at the Inn for a few days."

Luke shook his head. "She has no money, and I'm not paying for that."

"Oh, don't worry about that; it's on the house."

Luke looked up and said, "Lorelai, you don't have to-"

"I know," she interrupted, "but I want to. Let me help."

Luke held her stare for a moment before looking back at the stack of receipts on the counter and sighing in relent. "Yeah, okay," he agreed. "If it's not a problem."

"No problem at all. I should get back to the Inn, so I'll make sure we have a room."

"Thanks," Luke said sincerely.

Lorelai gave a smile while getting to her feet. "And, um, do you think we can talk later?"

"About what?"

"You know… the, uh… growing seed."

Luke gave a confused look. Quickly and discreetly, Lorelai taped her belly.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, we should," Luke agreed. "I'll come by tonight, when you're done at the Inn."

"Okay, good. And I'll call you about that room."

"Okay."

"Bye, Luke."

"Wait! You don't want the rest of this to go?"

Lorelai turned around to look at the coffee mug that was nearly full and shook her head. "I'm all coffee-ed out. Had a lot this morning."

"How much is a lot?"

"Oh, look at the time. I'm late! Bye!"

Luke grumbled something about coffee and crazy women as he watched Lorelai fly from the diner and run across the square.

_Junior/Senor High school_

"How much?"

"Three hundred and sixty eight dollars. To be exact," Rory added through a grin.

"Wow," Lane awed as they walked through the halls to their next class.

"I know," Rory agreed with a happy smile. "You should see our garage. Crap was already starting to pile up and now you can't even close the door all the way. It's baby central in there."

"So everything's good, right? Luke got all that stuff, so he's okay with the baby thing?"

"I think so. Mom seemed much better after Luke left," Rory reported while stopping beside her best friend's locker.

"Do you know when he's coming back?" Lane asked while pulling her math textbook from the top shelf.

Rory shook her head while leaning against the wall. "He said he doesn't know. He has to find a place for his sister to live, so I guess that will take a while."

"Hey, Rory!"

Both girls turned to the noise to find their classmate hurrying their way.

Joey ran the few steps until he was within better hearing distance before saying, "so, when do you wanna meet up? That project is due next week."

"Oh, right," Rory realized through wide eyes. With everything going on with her mom and Luke, the English project had slipped from her mind.

"How 'bout after school?" Joey offered. "You can come to my house, and even stay for dinner. You know, if you want."

Eager to get the project done and outta the way, Rory agreed.

"Wait for me after school and I'll walk with you. You don't know where my house is, right?"

Rory shook her head.

Joey smiled. "Meet me out front? I just have to give coach back my baseball uniform, then we can go."

"Okay," Rory agreed.

Joey smiled further. "See ya after lunch."

Rory nodded, and with that Joey hurried down the hall to his locker. While he ran off, Rory looked to Lane whose face was covered with shock and disbelief.

"What?" Rory asked self-consciously.

Lane slapped a folder to Rory's arm while saying, "why didn't you tell me you were dating Joey?"

"What?" I'm not dating Joey."

"But you're going to his house tonight. You're staying for dinner. He's walking you there and he'll probably walk you home. That sounds like dating."

"We have to work on our English project."

"What English project? I don't have an English project."

"That's because you're in regular English."

"Oh, right," Lane realized through a growing frown. "Forgot you were a super, smart genius in accelerated English."

Rory stuck her tongue out.

Lane closed her locker while starting down the hall. "So, not only is Joey really cute, but he's really smart _and_ he plays baseball. Wow," Lane awed.

Rory rolled her eyes.

_XOX_

_Independence Inn_

"Nothing?" Lorelai asked through a frown.

Lisa shook her head while pointing to the computer screen. "Seventeen and eighteen are the only ones open, but they're still going through the remodel. They're down for a couple more weeks, at least."

"Damn."

"Why? Did you and Rory need to stay here?"

"No," Lorelai murmured while trying to think of a plan B. "It was for Luke. Anyway, thanks for checking."

"No problem. I'm going to lunch. You got the desk?"

Lorelai nodded absentmindedly.

"Okay. Be back in an hour."

After Lisa had left for her break, Lorelai slid to a stool and let her chin fall to her cupped palms

"Stupid remodel," Lorelai grumbled in complaint.

For the next minute or two, Lorelai sat in that chair sulking.

But then something occurred her. A light bulb lit her mind. She was surprised she didn't think of it before.

Quickly, Lorelai picked up the phone and dialed Luke. She told him her idea. Luke was a bit hesitant at first, but after some convincing, he wound up agreeing.

Lorelai hung up the phone with a large smile on her face.

_To Be Continued…_

**Review? Please, and Thank you! Hope you enjoyed! :D**

**P.S- **_**'Smug Marrieds & Jam Hands' coming real soon-no, scratch that; it's coming super soon. Like tomorrow soon.**_

**P.P.S.- Thinking about writing a **_**Life Unexpected**_** Fic. Thoughts? **


	52. Hello, Silver Lining

Just wanted to get a little something out before the week really kicks in, and I'm buried in school crap.

And of course, as always, I thank you all for the wonderful reviews, :D

Enjoy! Read on!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Woman & A Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 52: Hello, Silver Lining**

_CrapShack_

"Yes, hi, I need to make an appointment for as soon as possible… oh, no, nothing like that; I just, well, I'm pregnant, or I'm pretty sure I am, and I just wanna have everything checked out and confirmed… Lorelai Gilmore… Yes, that's fine… Okay, I'll be there… thank you."

Not a moment after hanging up the phone, there was a knock at the door, the sound putting a wide grin to Lorelai's face as she dashed to the foyer.

"Good evening, sir. Welcome to Hotel Gilmore. May I take your bags?"

Luke rolled his eyes, but a small smile bubbled his cheeks. "You're nuts."

"And you're staying here," Lorelai returned happily while snatching Luke's duffel bag, then dancing away before he could grab it back.

"This is gonna be like one big, long, extended sleepover; we're gonna have so much fun! I've got a bunch of movies for tonight, and popcorn, and red vines, and chocolate, and, oh, mini pizza bites! Whoever created those things is a fricken genius! If only I knew who to send the 'thank you' note to," Lorelai babbled while putting Luke's bag down in the living room, then heading to the kitchen. "I hope you're hungry," she sang. "I've got Chinese coming for dinner, but oh, save some room; Sookie made one hell of a cake. Tada!" Lorelai exclaimed grandly while pulling a sheet from the table to reveal the night's food. Barely a spec of wood remained in sight.

Luke's eyes widened. "All that's for tonight?" he asked in disbelief.

"Hi, have we met?"

"But it's just you. Rory won't be here to help you polish it off. No way you can eat all that."

"You forget how to count? You're here too," Lorelai said while plucking two plates from the cabinet.

"You really think I'm gonna eat any of that crap?"

"You will if you plan to enjoy your stay at Hotel Gilmore."

"Nope. No way," Luke refused. "That's a huge diabetic shock just waiting to happen," he said while pointing to the table. "And there's no way I'm letting you eat all that. It's too much for one person, even you."

"Hey, I'm eating for two now."

"Baby's barely the size of a peanut, isn't it?" Luke asked while gesturing to her flat belly. "I'm not buying that. Not yet."

"You wanna have sex tonight, you won't try and stand in my way."

"Lorelai!" Luke hissed while looking to Rory's room with panicked eyes.

The Gilmore giggled. "Why are you freaking out? You know she's not here."

"She lives here," he grumbled.

"Yes, but that whole hearing thing only works if she's within earshot. She's not."

Luke sighed an aggravated breath while pulling open the utensil drawer.

Lorelai grinned.

Meanwhile, over at the Callahan house, Rory and Joey were sitting in the living room, flash cards crowding the coffee table as they prepared their speech.

"I think we have enough for three minutes."

Rory nodded in agreement while gathering the note cards that contained her portion of the presentation. "That didn't take as long as I thought it would."

Joey shrugged. "We only had to read two chapters."

"Yeah. I've had the reading done since last week, but I didn't think we'd summarize everything in an hour."

"We make a good team, Gilmore. Mr. Hunter should always make us partners. We'd get A's all the time."

Rory gave a nod while smiling at the idea. She already got A's all the time, but she kept that to herself.

"So, only two weeks left. I can't wait 'till summer. I'm going to baseball camp for six weeks. You doing anything?"

Rory shrugged and said, "I don't know yet."

"You like writing, right?"

"I wanna be a journalist," Rory confirmed.

"You should sign up for that Young Journalists club at school. It's for the junior high and starts in July, I think. I heard Mr. Hunter tell someone about it. It's like a class. You get a grade and everything, and whatever you get counts for extra credit for next year's English."

"Oh, really?" Rory asked while perking up at the thought.

Joey's smile furthered at the curve of her lips. "I have to see Mr. Hunter before school tomorrow. Want me to get you a sign up sheet?"

A frown took her face, but Rory nodded. "I wonder why I didn't hear about it."

"Mr. Hunter said he's telling the class tomorrow."

"Oh, okay."

"Joey! Let's go! Dinner!" A loud male voice shouted.

Joey hurried to his feet, then held his hand out to Rory. "You like pot roast, right?"

Rory nodded while letting Joey help her up.

"Good, that's what we're having. Oh, and wait 'till you see these cookies my mom got. They're like triple chocolate chip and peanut butter. They're the best things on the planet."

Rory couldn't stop a large smile as they hurried to the dinning room.

_XOX_

_CrapShack_

"That was some good eatin'" Lorelai praised as she fell back to the couch.

"You ate too much."

Lorelai sighed while propping her feet to the coffee table.

"So, I got an appointment for the baby thing next week."

"What day?"

"Tuesday."

"What time?"

"One."

Luke nodded. "Pick you up at the Inn?"

"What?"

"You're working Tuesday, right?"

"Well, yeah, but… you're coming?"

"Shouldn't I?"

"Well, yeah. I mean if you want to."

"Why not?" Luke reasoned. "Might as well get used to it. We'll be going there a lot."

Lorelai smiled while leaning her head to Luke's shoulder. No sooner than she managed to get comfortable did the phone ring.

"Ugh," Lorelai groaned.

Luke rolled his eyes while getting to his feet. He grabbed the phone from its base, and then tossed to the device to the couch. "I'm going to take the trash out," his fading voice called as he headed for the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled while putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?... Oh, hey, Sook… It's not like he hasn't been here before. It's not the first time we've had dinner together… Yeah, I guess it's the first time he's spent the night here," Lorelai murmured as her eyes trailed to the staircase. The thought hadn't occurred to her before. "Anyway, how's the finger?... Stitches. Ick… Yeah, yeah, I know, nothing stops you from cooking… Oh, right the surprise. I told you about Luke's baby-spree, right?... Well, I was looking through some of the stuff he got after he left yesterday, and I found the cutest little red jumper. He must be hoping for a boy because it says, _Daddy's Little Slugger_ on it, which I assume is some type of baseball terminology judging by the little bat and ball… Oh, it's so cute. And I swear, if I didn't know better I'd say Luke's actually somewhat okay with this whole thing… Well, yeah, I mean he told me he was scared shitless, and so am I, but he went out and bought all that stuff. And that jumper? I'm not buying that the shopping was purely for practical reasons. I think it was something else too… Yeah, I think he'll pick it up. Look at how is he with Rory…"

While Lorelai was talking to her best friend, Luke was rounding the house to the garbage cans when he spotted his nephew walking across the street. The thirteen year old had a book in his hand, and even with his attention seemingly fully absorbed in said book, he managed to navigate the pavement just fine as he stepped from the cement to cross the street without a problem.

"Jess!"

At his name, Jess looked up. He spared his uncle a glance before focusing back on his book.

"Hey! Where are you going!" Luke pressed while hurrying across Lorelai's lawn.

"Nowhere," Jess answered dully while continuing down the block.

Quickly, Luke ran around the bushes to pop out in Jess's path.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jess demanded while coming to a halting stop.

"What are you doing?" Luke shot back. "Why are you out so late?"

Jess shrugged while moving to walk around Luke, but the man jus stepped in his way each time he tried until after a few tries, Jess gave up.

"Does your mom know you're out here?"

"Nope."

Luke's brows furrowed in confusion. "That apartment has two rooms, one of which is a bathroom. How does she not know you're not there?"

"Because she's not there either."

"What? Where is she?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"Jess-"

"She screwed up the chicken, and didn't have money for a pizza so she went out."

"That's it? She screws up some chicken so she just leaves?"

"Yup."

"But what about you? She just left you with nothing to have?" Luke asked frantically.

"She told me to get something from the diner, so I got something from the diner."

"But what about if you weren't here? What if you were in New York? What would you do if you weren't above a diner?" Luke challenged.

"Leftovers."

"Leftovers? Leftovers from what?"

"Whatever's in the fridge. Are we done?"

"No. Wait here."

"Why?"

"Just wait here," Luke ordered firmly

Jess shrugged carelessly while lowering himself to the curb. Not once did he look up from his book.

Luke hurried back to the house to find Lorelai cleaning up dinner.

"What took you so long? You take out everyone's trash, boy scout?"

"I have to take Jess back to the diner."

"What?"

"And I have to find Liz."

"Wait, what? What's going on?"

"I go out there to dump the trash and I find Jess wandering around."

Lorelai frowned after looking at the time. "It's after 8:00."

"Yeah, I know, but with no one around to tell him it's late to be out alone, he goes out alone."

"You lost me. What about Liz?"

"Exactly. What about Liz? Apparently she thinks it's okay to go out and leave him by himself."

"Well," Lorelai started through a wince.

"Well?" Luke asked in disbelief. "Well what?"

"He is 13, isn't he? And this is Stars Hollow. I've left Rory alone for an hour or two."

"Yeah, an hour or two. And Rory's responsible. You'd make sure she has dinner before leaving. You wouldn't be out 'till midnight while she's alone."

"Midnight? She leaves Jess alone 'till midnight?"

"Who the hell knows?" Luke said while tossing his hands up in frustration. "I'll be back later."

Lorelai's frown furthered, but she nodded in understanding while following him to the door. "Do you need help finding her? Or I can look after Jess. Rory should be back any minute. They can hang out 'till you find Liz."

"No, that's okay, but thanks."

Lorelai nodded while opening the door. "Keep me posted."

Luke gave a nod before hurrying across the porch.

_XOX_

"Thank you for having me."

Mrs. Callahan smiled. "Anytime, sweetie. I'm glad you enjoyed dinner."

"I did, very much," Rory agreed.

"I hope you're taking her home," Mr. Callahan said while popping up behind his wife.

Joey gave a firm nod. "Yes, sir."

"Good. It's getting late for a young lady to be walking home alone. You have a good night, Rory," Mr. Callahan wished before turning past the open front door to take out the trash.

After promising his mom he'd be back, Joey led Rory to the porch, and the pre-teens started their short journey.

"You have your note cards, right?"

"Yeah."

Joey nodded while slipping his hands to his pockets. And with that, silence fell as the two crossed the street.

"Hey, do you have to be home right away?" Joey asked as they stepped up on the sidewalk.

"What?"

Joey pointed to the store window just up the block. "I have some money; we can get ice cream."

Rory was about to say yes; she hardly ever refused ice cream, but then her best friend's words scrolled through her mind and she thought twice. Getting ice cream together was something people did on dates. She didn't know if that's what Joey wanted, but getting ice cream together might look like a date, and she didn't want it to look like she was on a date. Not only did she feel she was too young for that, but she had no interest in dating. Joey was nice and all, but she didn't like him that way. She barely even knew him. She was only with him because they had a project to do.

"My mom's waiting for me. I should get home."

Joey nodded in understanding while looking to the cement to hide his frown.

It took only minutes to finish the couple of blocks until Rory's house came into view.

"See you in school tomorrow?"

Rory nodded. "Thanks for walking me home."

Joey smiled while giving a nod. "If you think we need to meet up again to practice our speech, let me know. Or we could just hang out. Watch a movie or something," he suggested through a shrug.

"Oh, uh, yeah, maybe," Rory stuttered.

"Night, Rory."

"Night, Joey."

Rory watched her classmate turn and walk away. When she found she was alone, her brows furrowed in confusion as she continued home.

After a minute, the young Gilmore shook the questioning thoughts from her mind and instead focused on her surroundings. Just before passing Babette's house, she spotted Luke coming down her lawn, a boy around her age keeping pace beside him.

"Oh, hey, Rory."

"Hey. Mom didn't tell me you were back," she said through a growing frown.

Luke shrugged. "Only been back a couple-a hours. You get that thing done for school?"

Rory nodded.

"Good. I was gonna introduce you guys tomorrow, but Jess, this is Rory, Lorelai's daughter, who you haven't really met, but you will tomorrow. Rory, this is Jess, my sister's kid"

"Hi," Rory greeted politely. "Nice to meet you."

Jess nodded while a smile crept to his face.

"Jess, and his mom are gonna be here for a little while until they find another place to live. If you don't have too much homework, you think you can show Jess around tomorrow after school?"

"Yeah, sure."

Luke gave a nod and said, "Thanks. You know, show him how to get around and some places to eat and everything."

Rory nodded.

Luke looked to Jess. "Sound okay?"

"Yup," Jess agreed, his eyes on Rory.

"Just clear it with your mom first."

"Okay, I will," Rory agreed.

Luke gave another nod of thanks. "I gotta take him back to the diner. I'll see ya later, Rory."

"Okay. Bye, Jess. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow," Jess agreed.

The group split, but while leaving, Jess couldn't help but look over his shoulder and think that maybe Stars Hollow wouldn't be so bad after all.

_TBC…_

**What do you think? Opinions are highly welcome, :D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	53. Stop & Go

First, I want to apologize for my sucky updating habits. I'm not cranking chapters out nearly as fast as I'd like, but academics and work have consumed my life. The real world gets in the way a lot when I try and plan time to write, so I'm usually just left with 15 minutes here or 40 minutes there. I've been trying to at least update weekly, but I know; the chapters are short. I wish I had time to give more hardy length, but I can't seem to find it. :( I'm sorry!

Anyway, onto the thanks. A million and one thank yous to everyone whose been reading and reviewing or even just reading. If it wasn't for you guys reading, I wouldn't been writing fan fiction, and if I wasn't writing fan fiction I never would have figured out that writing is what I want to do with the rest of my life; I want to make a career out of it. Hoping everything turns out as I'd like it to, I could owe you guys everything. Didn't mean to get all sentimental there, but yeah, again, thank you!

Enjoy! Read on!

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Woman and Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 53: Stop & Go**

It was just after ten when Lorelai stood by her daughter's closet helping the teen pick out the next day's outfit.

"Weatherman says it's gonna be deathly hot out tomorrow, but incase he's wrong- like most weathermen usually are- we'll get you two outfits, the second one sans shorts."

"Okay," Rory agreed, her back to Lorelai as she pulled a tank top over her head for bed.

"Alright, let's see," Lorelai started while pulling open dresser drawers. "You've got a whole lotta denim, little girl, so I'm thinking denim shorts, denim capris."

"It's what Gloria Vanderbilt would want."

"Then denim it is," Lorelai announced while tossing two pairs of said material to the foot of the bed. "I need to get my tan on. 'Tis the season to show alotta leg is fast approaching."

Rory frowned while climbing underneath the covers.

"How does your blue tank top lined with those cute little rhinestones sound?" Lorelai asked while spreading her finger across her neckline to demonstrate. "And if it turns out to be a little cooler than expected, you go with the capris and take your denim jacket. May as well keep the theme going. What do you think? Yay or ney?"

"It's good," Rory answered while settling a pillow against the headboard as she swiped the book that sat on her nightstand, one she was almost through reading.

"Okay," Lorelai said while displaying the clothes over the vanity chair. "Now onto footwear. Flip-flops or converses?"

"I have gym tomorrow."

"Converses it is," Lorelai decided through a sigh while plucking the shoes from the closet. "There, you're all set."

"Thank you."

Lorelai smiled. "So, what do you say we hit the beach this weekend? Mama needs some color."

"But what if your skin gets burned? That can't be good for the baby."

"I'll keep my tummy covered," Lorelai waved off carelessly, but not a second later ,her face turned to a pensive frown. "But then I'll be uneven. "

"We can go to the beach, but only if you wear sunscreen," Rory bargained. "The UV rays from the sun will damage your skin and you'll get cancer, and that's not good for you or the baby."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Damn your knowledge of cancer causes. And not fair using the baby thing against me. It's gonna be two to one around here once Luke gets wind of that trump card, which I assume you'll tell him about tomorrow since I just brought it up."

Rory gave a grand smile while nodding at her mother's words.

"Alright, fine, we'll do it your way. I'll wear sunscreen."

"Good girl."

"Yeah, yeah. Now come on, get comfy so I can do the tucking you in thing. And yes, I know, you're too old for that, but I'm doing it anyway."

Rory smiled further. "I'm comfy. I'm gonna read a little before I go to sleep."

Lorelai smiled while sitting down on the edge of the bed. "My little book worm."

Rory stuck her tongue out.

"Before I leave you and Charles Dickens alone, you're okay with all this, right? With all the hoopla, I never really had the chance to ask."

"Okay with what?"

"You know, Luke staying here for a little while, until his sister can find a place."

Rory nodded and said, "I like having Luke around."

"I know, but he's never spent the night."

"I'm okay with it. Do you think he'll make breakfast? If he cooks here, we won't have to go all the way to the diner for pancakes."

Lorelai flashed a devious grin. "I'm sure that can be arranged. Blue berry pancakes?"

"With extra blueberries, please."

"Noted."

"Thank you," Rory said through an appreciative smile while leaning forward to kiss Lorelai's cheek. "Night, mom."

"Hey, whoa, wait," Lorelai protested while stopping Rory from opening her book. "That's it? Talk over?"

"What?"

"A boy is staying over. All night long. From sunset to sunrise. He'll be here bright and early with pajamas on and messy bed hair and morning breath and that's it? You could run into him in the hallway if you wake up in the middle of the night and you have to go the bathroom or you need a glass of water. Then you'll have to make nighttime small talk. How awkward will that be?"

"Nighttime small talk?"

"See, it's a problem; I don't know what it is either," Lorelai said helplessly while tossing her hands up. "How will it be when you and Luke are standing there at two in the morning and you're both trying to come up with something, anything to talk about, but you're tired and groggy and can't think and I can't have that happen. I need to call Luke," Lorelai said while standing. "Maybe someone cancelled at the Inn and he can stay there."

"Mom, no! Hey! Get back here!" Rory shouted while scrambling from her bed. By the time she freed her legs from the blanket and dashed to the living room, Lorelai was standing over the couch, pulling the phone from between two cushions.

"Drop the phone and no one gets hurt!"

Lorelai let the phone slip from her fingers as slowly, she turned to Rory. "Did I speed walk down the hall or something?"

Rory frowned while walking further into the room. "Why are you freaking out?"

"What? I'm not freaking out."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Mom."

"Rory."

The young Gilmore fixed Lorelai with a stern look while pointing to the couch. "Sit."

Without a word, Lorelai lowered herself to the couch and quickly, Rory joined her.

"Now tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong."

Rory gave her mother a knowing look.

For a moment, Lorelai said nothing, but her daughter's persistent staring eventually got to her and she fell back to the couch with a sigh.

"I've never had a boy sleepover," Lorelai murmured.

"But it's Luke."

"I know."

"You like Luke."

"I know, but… I don't know. I guess I'm being silly. I mean I've slept at his place before, right? Same thing, just different room, different bed. It's still us. Right?"

"Right," Rory confirmed. 'So let him stay here. You should get used to it anyway, before the baby comes, then he'll be here all the time."

Lorelai blinked. "What?"

"When you have the baby, Luke will be here all the time. He's moving in, isn't he?"

Lorelai's face turned to a confused frown. "Honey, Luke-"

"Wait, before I forget I have a surprise!" Rory exclaimed while darting to her room then coming back just seconds later with part of a newspaper.

"Our house will be too small for us, so look what Lane and I found."

With a deep frown, Lorelai looked to the paper to find it was the past weekend's house listings.

"There's this really nice house for sale on Peach, and I was gonna go to the open house myself, but now that Luke's okay with everything, we can all go. It's this weekend. And look, it's big. It's got enough bedrooms, and the kitchen's really nice," Rory advertised while pointing to the pictures in the article. "It's all brand new; Luke's gonna love it. The open house is on Sunday. I was thinking we could go on your lunch break."

At first, Lorelai didn't know what to say, but quickly she managed to somewhat organize her jumbled thoughts. "Okay, um, sweetie," she started while sliding the newspaper to the coffee table. "While I'm really glad you're excited about all this, we're not moving," she argued gently.

Rory's brows knit in confusion. "But we can't all fit here. You barely have enough room in your closet for your stuff; how's Luke gonna fit all his?"

"Yes, and that would be a problem if Luke were moving in, but, babe, Luke's not gonna live here."

Rory's face fell further. "He's not?"

Lorelai shook her head.

"But you're having a baby," Rory argued weakly. "Don't you need to be together to take care of it?"

"You know it doesn't always work that way," Lorelai explained. "Your dad and I aren't together and look at you, you're growing up good."

"But it's different with Luke. You're in love him. If you're having a baby with someone you're in love with, don't you move in together and get married? Isn't that what people do?"

"Oh, boy," Lorelai breathed, the words a quiet murmur.

"You're not getting married," Rory realized.

Lorelai shook her head. "I know that marriage seems like the next logical step for us, but Luke and I haven't' really been together that long. I haven't even known him a year. I think it's a little soon to be thinking about getting married."

"Then why did you get pregnant if you weren't gonna get married?" Rory asked her tone flashing little specs of anger. "If it's too soon for that, isn't it too soon for a baby?"

"Well, the whole, uh, getting pregnant thing wasn't exactly planned."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed, her voice soft at her daughter's fallen face. "Maybe someday in the far, distant future getting married might be in the cards for me and Luke, but for now it's just us Gilmore girls. And soon, baby."

Rory nodded. "I should go to bed. It's getting late."

Lorelai's frowning lips curved further. "Okay. Night, babe."

"Night," Rory murmured while standing from the couch.

Before Rory could reach her room, Lorelai's voice stopped her. The teen turned around with an impatient look on her face.

"I know, bed time, but are you sure you're okay with everything? I mean Luke and I are still together; we're not breaking up or anything. It's just early to be thinking about getting married. You understand that, right?" Lorelai asked hopefully.

Rory nodded.

Lorelai returned the nod, though her frown remained. "Sleep good. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay."

And with that, Rory turned and disappeared to her room.

Lorelai sighed.

_XOX_

The search for Liz came up empty at Al's Pancake World. Luke knew the only other restaurant still open at the late hour was Pete's Pizzeria. Pete was getting ready to close up shop when Luke and Jess stopped by.

"Liz? She was here, but left about an hour ago."

"She didn't say where she was going, did she?"

"Nope, but if Lizzie's still that girl I remember, she's probably at K.C's. She still that same party girl?"

"Yup," Jess answered before flipping to another page of the book in his hand.

"Thanks, Pete," Luke said while ushering Jess to the door.

"Is K.C's a bar?" Jess asked as they walked down the street.

"Yeah."

"Then she's there."

"How do you know?"

"She comes home late, she smells like beer."

"All the time?"

Jess shrugged.

Luke sighed.

"Makes you feel any better, she doesn't throw up or anything. Just can't walk a straight line, but she never could anyway."

"Great."

At his uncle's sarcasm, Jess stopped and tore his stare from his book. "Yeah, my mother's insane, but she's no alcoholic. She doesn't trash the place or come home sick or anything like that. Okay?"

Luke's eyes widened in surprise at the defensive tone behind Jess's words.

"Okay?" Jess pressed in demand.

"Yeah, okay, but your mom-"

"I'm going back to the diner. Find her if you want; I don't care."

"Jess! Wait!" Luke shouted.

But the teen didn't stop as he moved fast down the sidewalk.

The diner was just a handful of blocks away, so Luke stayed rooted to his spot until Jess vanished inside. That's when Luke headed for the bar.

_K.C's_

Right when he walked through the door, Luke spotted her sitting on a stool. A beer bottle sat in front of her and a cigarette hung from her hand. She was laughing, as was the bartender who stood on the other side of the counter.

Without a word, Luke came up beside her.

"Well, look who it is!" Liz cheered. "Hey, bro, what-hey, what are you doing!" Her smiled turned to a quick frown as he picked up the beer bottle, the nearly full bottle.

"How long have you been here?"

"What?"

Luke turned to the bartender. "How long has she been here?"

The guy, who looked to be no more than a few years older than Liz, shrugged and said, "I don't know. An hour maybe."

Luke turned back to Liz, held up the bottle and said, "An hour and this is all you drank?"

"What? Was I supposed to drink more? Is there a contest going on that I don't know about?"

"No, but-"

"Hey, I'm no booze hound. You know I don't go overboard with the beer."

"Yeah, well, you go overboard with this," Luke said while plucking the cigarette from her fingers and pushing the bud to an ashtray.

"Hey! What's your problem!"

"My problem is you're sitting here laughing it up with beer boy when you got a kid at home. Remember Jess? You're 13 year old son who I found wandering around alone late at night."

Liz waved him off. "Come on, this is Stars Hollow. Nothing ever happens here. He could sleep out on the gazebo and wake up just fine. I bet Kirk still does it."

"Not the point," Luke growled. "You just bolted without even making sure he had something for dinner."

"Hey!" Liz started defensively while standing from her stool. "I told him to take whatever he wanted from the diner. I wouldn't have left him without food."

"Yeah?" Luke challenged. "He said you pull this crap all the time in New York. You leave him alone all the time."

"There's always food in the fridge; I never let him starve. And he's 13 for crying out loud; he's not a baby. He can be by himself for a little while. Why are you making a big deal outta this?"

"Because you're out partying like you have no responsibilities, but you do; you have a son."

"Yeah, I have a son who doesn't give a crap about whether he spends time with me or not," Liz argued. "I could be gone for days and it wouldn't matter to him."

"That's not-"

"Don't try and fix this, Luke. There's nothing to fix. Just please, back off," she warned while dumping some money on the counter, then turning for the door.

"Liz! Wait!"

But she didn't answer. She didn't turn around. She didn't come back.

"Damn it," Luke cursed.

_XOX_

Lorelai didn't mean to fall asleep. She wanted to wait up for Luke. But when she stirred and woke with cloudy vision to find the time after 11:00, Lorelai realized she had nodded off. When she looked over her shoulder to find the bed beside her empty, her frown furthered. She grabbed the remote to lower the T.V while with her other hand, reaching for the phone. She wanted to call Luke, make sure everything went okay, that he found his sister. But when Lorelai silenced The Nanny, voices coming from the first floor stopped her from making the call.

With a pillow grasped tightly in one hand and the phone in the other, Lorelai cautiously approached the staircase. She peaked around the bend to find the living room dark, all except for the flickering neon glow. And then she realized the noise was coming from the T.V and a breath of relief blew from her lungs.

Quietly, Lorelai took the stairs to the first floor. She expected to find some boring, Discovery or History channel program playing and Rory asleep on the couch, but instead she found Luke conked out on the sofa. ESPN came from the television. Luke's green ball cap lie crocked on his head, his boots on his feet, the remote barely hanging from his hand and no blanket covering his body. Lorelai assumed, from the look of things, that he didn't mean to fall asleep either. He must have dozed off while catching the highlights.

For a minute, Lorelai thought about waking Luke. But the fact that he fell asleep, the way fell unconscious, Lorelai thought he must have been exhausted from everything. With the stress of an unplanned pregnancy, leaving his apartment for days, possibly longer, and having to deal with his sister, Lorelai could only imagine how tired Luke must have been.

So instead, Lorelai eased his hat from his head, slipped his boots from his feet, took the remote from his hand, muted the T.V, and then spread a throw blanket over his legs. Luke slept like the dead, so the man didn't wake when Lorelai whispered goodnight. Her eyes lingered on his sleeping body as a smile rested on her face. After a moment, she kissed his forehead, suppressed another urge to wake him, and then hurried back to her bedroom.

_Next Morning_

With Luke's internal alarm clock striking yet again, the man found himself awake and ready to start his day at five in the morning. While the hour didn't seem young to him, for the girls in the house, five a.m. was way too early to be up, so they were still sound asleep. Wanting to keep the commotion to a minimal, Luke stayed on the first floor and took a quick shower in the spare bathroom. He put on fresh clothes, brushed his teeth, towel dried his hair, and then left the bathroom at 5:33.

Caesar was all set to open the diner, as Luke planned ahead, the man expecting the night to go much differently than it did. He thought he'd be in bed with Lorelai, her head on his chest, his arm around her waist with the sun slowly rising in the sky as he watched his girl sleep. But after the trouble with Liz, then having wasted an hour at K.C's, he trudged his way back, wanting to get some scores before slipping in bed with Lorelai. But before Luke knew it, it was morning and he was waking up on the couch. Since he was up, he thought he'd head to the diner and help get the place running. Plus, he wanted to be around when Liz surfaced.

_XOX_

_Diner_

It wasn't until just before nine when Luke heard someone bounding down the stairs. He was serving a customer when his sister threw back the curtain to announce her presence to the room.

"Good morning, Stars Hollow!"

Luke rolled his eyes while turning to the counter. "Do you have to do that?"

"No, I don't _have_ to, but when in Rome."

"You're not in Rome."

"You know what I mean."

Luke shrugged while shoving the coffee pot to the machine to brew another batch.

Liz smiledwhile popping open the donut case. "So, what time are we going?"

"Going where?"

"To look for apartments," she said as if it were obvious as she grabbed a chocolate donut.

"Today?" Luke asked in surprise.

"No time to waste; gotta find me a place to live."

Luke gave a look of confusion. "What about last night?"

Liz took a bite from her breakfast, and then asked, "What about it?"

"You were pissed at me for ragging on ya, and now you want me to go with you to find an apartment?"

Liz waved him off. "I don't hold grudges. And I can't stay mad at you; you're my big brother. So, what time? We should hit the road soon, don't you think? I know how much you hate getting stuck in traffic."

Luke shook his head. "That's not how it works. We're not just gonna drive around aimlessly. Open up the paper, look through the places for rent, find some good ones, and then we'll go."

"Today? We'll go today?"

"Just start looking."

"Okay, okay," Liz gave in while backing away from the counter. "I'll go to the newsstand to stock up. I'll be at Weston's if you need me. I'm dying for some cherry pie."

Luke nodded. "Where's Jess?"

"Don't worry, he's cool. He's right above your head, sound asleep. Later, bro!"

Luke rolled his eyes as Lorelai hurried across the street.

_The Inn_

Lorelai was stationed at the desk, finishing up a phone call with a customer when Lisa came from her office.

"The eagle is landing this weekend."

"What?"

"Mia. She's coming for a visit this weekend, and we have no rooms available. She said that's okay because she'd be able to stay with you. That's okay right?" Lisa asked anxiously.

"Yes, of course," Lorelai said through a vigorous nod. "She knows she can always stay with me."

"Good."

Lorelai smiled at the look of relief that flashed across her boss's face. "So, this weekend?"

"Yup. Saturday morning."

"She say what time?"

"Nope. She said if you knew the time, you'd go the airport to pick her up, which she says is a waste of money."

"Her taking a cab is what's a waste of money," Lorelai grumbled.

Lis shrugged. "You know Mia."

"Yes I do."

"So, anytime you wanna take lunch, I'll handle the desk."

Lorelai looked to the clock. It was eleven fifty two. "Oh, I better go now. I'm supposed to meet Rory at twelve."

Lisa frowned. "No school today?"

"Budget meetings," the Gilmore started while snatching her purse from beneath the desk. "Half day."

"Ah, got it. Lucky girl."

"You and I see it as lucky; Rory sees it as sucky. My little freak hates missing school."

Lisa grinned.

_XOX_

_Diner_

When Lorelai walked in a frown took her face when she found a very annoyed looking Luke being chased around by his pleading sister.

"Please!"

"It's already after twelve. We don't have time to drive to the city, look at places, and then drive back. I go to bed early, Liz. I have a business to run."

"Then we'll be really fast. Come on, Luke, please. I did what you said. I found some places in the paper and I have a really good feeling about one of them. I wanna see it before someone else takes it. Pleeaasassssseeee!" she begged.

Luke sighed as she clasped her hands in prayer and fixed him with a puppy dog stare.

"What about Jess?"

"What about him?"

"He's not gonna wanna come."

"Then he'll stay here," Liz resolved simply. "Isn't your girlfriend's kid showing him around, anyway? He'll do that."

"Liz, we wont' be five minutes away. If something happens, we won't be around. He'll be on his own. And what's he supposed to do for dinner? He shouldn't' be eating by himself all the time."

Without thinking, Lorelai said, "He can eat with me."

Luke and Liz turned to Lorelai, Luke's face showing surprise as Liz held a curious smile.

"Hey. I didn't know you were here."

"Just walked in. Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but-"

"But we were talking loud," Liz finished while approaching her. "Holy cow, look at you."

"What?"

"You're the girlfriend, right?"

Lorelai nodded.

Liz looked over her shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me your girl was so pretty."

"Liz," Luke warned, "leave her alone."

"Relax, will you? You have a pretty girl; it's a compliment, so try taking it that way."

Luke ignored her while focusing on Lorelai. "She can wait 'till tomorrow."

"But, Luuukkkkeeee," Liz whined. "What if someone takes it? We have to go today."

Seeing the struggle on Luke's face, Lorelai said, "Really, it's okay. They're gonna be out most of the afternoon anyway. Rory's gonna give Jess the grand tour, then they can come back to the house, I'll order pizza, pick up a few movies, and that'll pass the time until you get back."

"See!" Liz enthused gloatingly. "She doesn't mind! I'll get my stuff, and then we can go!"

After Liz flew from the room, with his eyes on Lorelai, Luke said, "You didn't have to do that."

"I pass the video store on the way home anyway, and I've long since mastered the art of ordering pizza. As long as Jess doesn't stick his finger win any sockets, the evening should be easy enough."

Luke smiled a little at the curve of her lips.

"Besides, the sooner they find a place, the sooner you de-stress a little."

Luke nodded. "Could find one today. Hopefully we do, but I don't want her latching on to the first thing she sees. She always jumps first, then asks questions later."

"Got my fingers crossed, babe."

_XOX_

After lunch was consumed, Lorelai headed back to the Inn while Luke yelled for Jess.

"We're leaving! We'll be back tonight!"

"Okay!"

"Rory's down here waiting for you!"

At the mention of the blue-eyed girl, Jess sprang from the recliner he sat in, dumping his book to the bed as he hurried from the apartment.

Luke's eyes widened in shock when just seconds later, Jess appeared from behind the curtain. "That was fast."

Jess shrugged while rounding the counter.

"Hey," Rory said with a bright smile while standing from her chair "Ready for the tour?"

Jess nodded.

"I was thinking I'd show you the library first since it's right around the corner, but if you're not interested in books, we can skip it."

"I'm interested."

"Oh, yeah, you were reading yesterday when I met you. Do you read a lot?"

"Not much."

"Oh, well there's some really good books at the library. Maybe you'll find something. I'll let you use my card to borrow some books if you want. You just have to make sure you don't return them late. I hate when people return books late."

"Don't return books late. Got it."

Rory smiled a bit further. "So, I guess we'll go now?"

"After you, tour guide."

Rory looked up to give Luke a smile. "Bye."

"Bye, Rory. Don't' do anything stupid, Jess."

Jess pulled the door open for Rory and said, "Got it."

_XOX_

The teens had been at the library for the last half hour. As it most always happened when faced with a large selection of books, Rory found herself in literature heaven as she spent the last thirty minutes eagerly scanning the shelves.

"Sorry," Rory apologized sheepishly while setting a small pile of books down on a table. "I always get carried away here."

"No big deal," Jess assured her while picking the first book from the short tower. "Read this last month. Don't' waste your time."

Rory frowned. "Bad?"

"Yup," Jess said while tossing the book to the table. "This one's okay," he said after picking up the next book.

With a confused look, Rory's gaze went from the book Jess held to his face. "You read Jane Austen?"

Jess shrugged. "Gotta read the classics, right?"

"Right," Rory agreed through a growing smile. "I've actually read it before, but sometimes I read books I like more than once. Is that weird?" she asked self-consciously.

"If it is, then we're both weird."

Rory narrowed her eyes a bit. "I thought you said you don't read much."

Jess shrugged and said, "What is much?"

Rory's brows knit thoughtfully, but before she could think up a response, Jess was hoisting the books to his arms. "Taking these out?"

"Yeah."

Jess nodded. "On with the tour?"

Rory returned the nod and said, "Let's go."

_TBC…_

**Thoughts? Opinions? Complaints? Bring 'em on; I'll take 'em all, :D**

**Thanks for reading! **

**P.S- Happy All Hallows Eve!**


	54. Will You Take A Walk With Me?

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of Annoying Woman & A Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 54: Will You Take A Walk With Me?**

_CrapShack_

"And the book thief strikes again!"

Rory narrowed her eyes at her mother. "I took out 5 on my card, and 5 on your card," she said primly while turning for her room with Jess behind her.

"Ah, cheating the system. Mama proud."

"It's not cheating! Someone should use your card since you never do!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, baby!" Lorelai shouted while flipping to the next page of her magazine.

Rory frowned as Jess came up next to her. He dumped the books on her bed, and then took a look at his surroundings.

"So, this your room?" Jess asked while wandering towards the desk.

"Yeah, this is my room."

Jess nodded while sliding his hands into his pockets. "What I pictured," he murmured.

"What?"

Jess shook his head while pointing to the window. "That open?"

"Yeah. Just unlock it and push."

"Okay. Ready?"

"For what?"

"To bail."

"What? Um, no?"

"Why not?"

"Because we just got here," Rory said with confusion on her face. "Besides, it's Tuesday night in Stars Hollow. There's nowhere to bail to. Remember that 24-hour mini mart we stopped at? It closed right after we left."

"So, we'll walk around, or sit on a bench and stare at our shoes."

Rory rounded the bed while a smile grew to her face. "My mom's ordering pizza and she got all these movies for us to watch, so we can't bail. And anyway, aren't you hungry?"

Jess shrugged.

"Well, I'm starving."

"Hey."

Both teens turned to find Lorelai leaning against the doorframe. "The growling in my tummy is getting louder and louder by the second; pizza time?" she asked hopefully.

Rory nodded while looking to Jess. "What do you want on yours?"

"Anything is fine."

"Everything it is!" Lorelai announced happily while spinning from the doorway.

With an amused smile, Rory focused back on Jess. "I'm gonna go wash my hands. I'll be right back."

Jess nodded and with that, Rory headed for the kitchen. But before she could leave, she stopped to narrow her eyes at Jess. "Will you be here when I get back?"

Jess met her stare and then said, "I'll be here."

"You won't jump out the window?"

Jess shook his head.

Rory smiled. "Good."

_XOX_

_NYC_

"This is it; I can feel it!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "We just walked through the door, Liz."

"The vibes in this room… don't you feel it?"

Luke shook his head.

Liz walked through the threshold, but stopped in the center of the room to stand next to a small, wooden coffee table. She closed her eyes, took a long breath and said, "The energy in this place is so positive… I can't believe you don't feel it."

"You felt the same about the first place and that had mold in every corner."

"So? Mold's no big deal. It's fixable. It's nothing a… mold guy can't fix."

Luke sighed while taking a look around the small living room. The walls were a pale shade of tan that gave the faint aroma of fresh paint. A large, rectangular window was carved into the far wall; it's light brown curtains parted to reveal the busy street 4 flights down. A black, shabby looking couch sat opposite a small T.V, the device sitting on a short, wooden cabinet. The floor was covered in hardwood panels with a plain brown rug beneath the coffee table.

Luke had to admit, the place didn't seem so bad. A little mismatched, maybe, but not bad.

"I told you," Liz gloated through a winning smile.

"Don't get your hopes up yet; this is just one room. The bathroom could still be a piece-a crap, like the last one."

"I have a feeling it isn't."

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna go look anyway," Luke said as he turned down a short hall.

Liz widened her smile while following after him.

_XOX_

"Oh, oh, here they come!" Lorelai cheered.

"Mom's in love with the umpa-lumpas."

Jess gave a short nod while taking another bite of pizza.

Before Lorelai could drool over her favorite characters, the phone rang. "Drat," she cursed while getting to her feet.

Rory grinned as Lorelai hurried to the phone, stopping for the briefest second to swipe the device from the cradle and then continuing to the kitchen. After she disappeared from sight, Rory turned to Jess.

"You've been quiet since we got back."

"I've been quiet all day."

"Well, you've been quieter since we got back."

Jess shrugged, his stare glued to the movie, though he wasn't paying much attention.

"Is it Willy Wonka? My mom's distracted, so I can put something else on if you don't like it."

"Movie's fine."

Rory frowned. "Then what's wrong?"

"Who said anything is wrong?"

"You look like something's wrong."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say about looks," Jess started while standing up.

"Where are you going?" Rory asked anxiously while scrambling to her feet.

"A walk," Jess explained while heading for the door, his half eaten pizza in his hand as he took another bite. "You can come if you want."

"But the movie," Rory protested weakly while looking to the living room.

"Seen it before."

"Me too, but-"

"You don't have to come, but I'm going," Jess said while opening the front door.

Rory's frown furthered as she watch Jess walk across the porch and down the stairs. Just as he reached the lawn, she yelled for him to stop.

Jess froze.

"I'll go with you; hold on!"

Jess sprouted a grin while Rory hurried back into the house. He stood where he was, his back to the front door when just seconds later, Rory came rushing down the porch.

"Okay, let's go."

_XOX_

"So, it needs a new fridge; what's the big deal? I'll get a new fridge."

"You don't have money for a new fridge."

Liz shrugged carelessly and said, "I'll get some of those mini cooler things to use until I can get a new one."

"You need a fridge," Luke corrected firmly. "And those cabinets are falling apart."

"They just need new doors. No place is perfect, but this one's really, really close and it's only a few blocks from the store. I can keep my job. I only missed one day. Its great, big bro! Now let's go find a landlord so I can sign a check!"

_XOX_

"Where are we going?"

"Don't know; don't live here."

Rory frowned while picking up the speed to catch up to Jess. After falling in step with him, she looked around and said, "We're almost at the lake."

"Guess that's where we're going then."

Rory frowned further. "The lake?"

"Yup."

"But it's getting dark and we're not dressed to go swimming."

"Wasn't planning on swimming."

"What are you planning?"

Jess shrugged while slipping his hands into his denim pockets.

Realizing her questions wouldn't receive answers, Rory kept quiet as they continued down the street and onto a wide, dirt path, one with bushes and trees blocking the street from view.

"So, it's a lake _and_ a bridge."

"What?"

"You mentioned a lake. Didn't say anything about a bridge."

"Bridges usually comes with lakes."

"Looks that way, doesn't it."

Curiously, Rory followed Jess to the center of the bridge where he sat down, his feet hanging from the old, long, wooden plank while his eyes went to the water.

"Sit," Jess said while tapping the spot next to him.

"And do what?"

"Stare at the water. Or your shoes. Up to you."

Rory lowered herself to the bridge, but instead of letting her feet dangle above the water, she crossed her legs.

Once Rory was settled, Jess picked up a pebble and held it out to her. "How far can you throw this?"

"Not very. I suck at throwing."

"Prove it, Gilmore," he challenged.

Rory took the rock and threw it as far as she could. Jess couldn't hide a smile when it made a small splash not ten feet away.

Rory frowned in disappointment. "Thought it would go a little further than that,"  
she muttered sadly.

"I'm guessing you don't play any sports."

"No. I barely even play in gym class. What about you?"

"Nope. I barely even go to gym class."

"You skip class?" Rory asked in shock.

"Yup."

"A lot?"

"Just when I don't feel like going."

"Is that a lot?"

"Yup."

"But don't you get in trouble? I mean doesn't your mom-"

"My mom doesn't care," Jess interrupted. "Why should I?"

"Oh," Rory murmured while looking to the water.

A moment of silence passed when suddenly Jess got to his feet. "You want ice cream? I want ice cream."

Rory looked up, her brows furrowed in confusion as she said, "Oh, um-"

"I got money. What do you like? Chocolate? Vanilla? Or are you one of those freaks who like pistachio?"

"If I was, you would've just called me a freak."

"But you aren't, so I didn't."

"Yeah, but you didn't know I didn't like pistachio."

"Took a shot. Worked out okay. So, what do you want? Chocolate or vanilla?"

"Rocky road."

Jess nodded while holding his hand out.

Rory looked from his face to his hand, then to his face, and then back to his hand.

"Any day now."

Rory never held a boy's hand before- well, she did, once, in the first grade during the school Halloween parade when her teacher made everyone pair up to circle the school, but thinking back, Rory didn't think that should count. She could hardly even remember it. And so Rory couldn't help but feel nervous while reaching to put her hand in Jess's. When their skin touched, Jess didn't hesitate in locking a firm, but somehow gentle grip around her fingers so he could pull her up, When Rory's feet bounced to the ground, their hands fell away and Rory looked down at her tingling skin in wonder.

"You have cones in this town?"

"What?"

"Cones. That edible wafer thing that holds ice cream."

"Oh, um, yeah, yeah, we have cones, alotta cones," Rory sputtered nervously.

"You like cones? Or are you one of those freaks who eat ice cream from a bowl?"

Rory looked to Jess to find him smirking, and she couldn't but smile.

_XOX_

With the kids having gone on their walk, Lorelai was left alone for the clean up. She thought about leaving the mess for the next day, but she knew waiting would just earn her another lecture from Rory about crumbs and ants, and she didn't feel like hearing it again.

After loading the glasses in the dishwasher, Lorelai stood over the coffee table, her hands on her hips and her brows knit thoughtfully as she stared at the only slice of pizza that remained.

"To save or to throw away. That is the question."

10 seconds later, Lorelai shrugged and reached for the pizza while saying, "To eat it is."

But before she could take a bite, the phone rang. With an angry frown, Lorelai turned, grabbed the phone and said, "This better be good; I'm hungry."

"Hey. We're on our way back."

Lorelai's face lit up at the sound of Luke's voice. "Find a place?" she questioned hopefully.

"Yup."

"How is it? Nice?"

"It's great!" Liz shouted from the passenger seat.

Luke rolled his eyes. "It needs a little work, but it's okay."

"Tell her about the price!" Lorelai heard Liz say.

"What about the price?"

Luke sighed in relent. "It's not too bad. Not like the place she had a few months back. Guy robbed her blind."

"And that's why I left," Liz supplied proudly.

"You were kicked out," Luke corrected, "because you left a cigarette lit and almost burnt the place down."

"Tomato, toma-toe."

Luke rolled his eyes while slowing to a red stoplight. "Anyway, we'll be there in a couple of hours. Traffic isn't too bad."

"Okay, good," Lorelai said while plopping to the couch. "So, when does she move?"

"Friday."

"Guess you'll be staying at Casa Crapshack a couple more days, huh?"

"Yup," Luke agreed. "If that's okay," he added.

"It's more than okay."

"Good," Luke said, unable to help a smile from lifting the corner of his lips.

"Luke and Lorelai sittin' in a tress, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Liz sang.

"Stop," Luke growled.

Lorelai smiled. "So, I'll see you tonight?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Drive safe, babe."

"I will."

Lorelai smiled. "And I better not find you on the couch again!" she warned before hanging up quickly.

_XOX_

"So, I was right, wasn't I?"

"What?"

"Better on a cone."

Rory looked to the 3 scoops of rocky road that topped the cone in her hand and smiled. "Always better on a cone."

Jess looked at her from the corner of his eyes and matched her smile.

"So, where are we going now?"

"Don't know. Where do you wanna go?"

Rory shrugged while taking a bite from the top of the cone.

"We could go back to your place," Jess suggested.

"We could," Rory's mumbling voice agreed as the ice cream melted in her mouth.

"Or we could keep walking around for a while," Jess murmured thoughtfully.

Rory considered both options before looking to the boy next to her and smiling. "Cones _are _supposed to be eaten on the go."

"On the go it is."

_XOX_

_CrapShack_

It was dark. It was late. Her daughter was with a boy she hardly knew, with a boy Lorelai hardly knew. Yes, said boy was Luke's nephew, but still… he was a boy. A 13-year-old boy.

"Never had this problem before," Lorleai murmured while looking to the clock, the time just after 9:00.

Thinking back, Lorelai realized she should have given Rory a time to be home by. But she never had to before, so the thought didn't occur to her. When Rory would hang out in town with Lane, she was usually with them, and if not, Rory always seemed to come home at a young hour. When the teen was at the library or the Diner, or Kathy Fincher's house, she'd come through the door before worrying could even be an option for Lorelai.

Lorelai huffed impatiently while squirming on the couch. She darted her eyes to the clock, watching as the hands took their time circling the numbers.

"How long does a fricken walk take?"

_XOX_

"I read that when I was 10."

"Yeah?" Jess asked in awe.

Rory nodded and said, "What about you?"

"8."

Rory looked skeptical for a moment and her suspicions were confirmed when a grin broke out on Jess's face.

"You never read it, did you?"

"Nope. Should I?"

"Yes!" Rory exclaimed enthusiastically. "And if you don't get it at first, that's okay. I had to read it 3 times to understand everything."

"You really like books, don't you?"

"I love books."

"So, you know a lot about them?"

"About the ones I've read."

"Which is a lot."

"Yeah, I guess."

Jess nodded and said, "I'll find that book."

"They have it at school. I can take it out for you. If you want, I can meet you at the diner at 3:00 and give it to you."

"A book and fries. Sounds good."

"You should get a milkshake too. Luke's fries taste really good if you dip 'em in a milkshake. But Luke hardly let's me order both at the same time, so I barely get to have it," Rory sulked.

Jess flashed an amused smile. "I'll get extra and you can have some when Luke's not looking."

But Rory's frown remained. "He won't let you do that; he'll know something's up if you get 2 orders."

"Then I'll get one. I know how to share. And if you're really worried about getting caught, we'll take it somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?" Rory questioned. "Where?"

"The lake," he said simply.

"The lake?"

"Yup."

"Why the lake?"

Jess shrugged. "Luke won't look there. Who the hell eats on a bridge?"

Rory laughed. "Okay, the lake then. I'll bring the book."

"I'll bring the grub."

_XOX_

"What do I do? What do I do?"

"Okay, well, first, don't panic," Sookie cautioned through the phone.

"How can I not panic?" Lorelai snapped. "It's late, it's a school night, it's dark out, and my 13 year old daughter is out there doing God knows what in God knows where with a 13 year old boy who I know nothing about! Who she knows nothing about! What do I do!"

"Okay, okay, um, let's see… where did she say she was going?"

"A walk. Can you believe that? 'Mom, we're going for a walk! Be back later!' That's it. Then she let. Just like that. Who does that? When you go for a walk, you say where you're going for a walk _to_ and when you'll be back. Why would she just leave without filling in the blanks? Why!" Lorelai demanded desperately.

"I hate to say this," Sookie started through a wince, "but isn't it your job to ask her that?"

"Well, I am the mom, aren't I? So, yes, one would think that makes sense, but no, I didn't ask. I just let her go. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Aw, sweetie, nothing's wrong with you. This boy thing is just new; you've never had to deal with it before, so you didn't think to ask, but that's okay."

"No, Sookie, it's not okay. She's 13. She's too young for there to be a boy thing. I thought I had more time. She's never shown interest in boys before and now, all the sudden, she's out there taking a walk with one. I can't do this, it's too soon, I'm not ready, I can't, I can't, I can't!" Lorelai ranted.

"Honey, they just went for a walk, that's all."

"How do you know? How do you know he didn't trick her into going to make-out hill where he's got his hands all over her and his tongue in her mouth and, ah, I just got a really bad visual!"

"Stars Hollow has a make-out hill?"

"I don't know; does it?"

"I don't know. But you do know you're being crazy, right?"

"Yeah," Lorelai gave in through a sigh while falling to the couch. "But it is getting late, Sook, and she's not back yet. What if something happened?"

"I'm sure she's fine; she probably just lost track of time. Why don't you call her?"

"She doesn't have a cell phone. I should probably get her one if this whole walking around with boys thing late at night is gonna become a trend."

"Yeah, maybe you should."

"Sookie!" Lorelai exclaimed. "You're not supposed to agree with me!"

"I don't! I don't! But don't kids get cell phones when they get older? Or what about a beeper? That's probably a good start, right?"

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed begrudgingly.

"Now how do you feel? Any better?"

"No."

Sookie frowned while checking the time. "It's only 9:00."

"On a school night."

"She's been out with Lane later than this on school nights."

"Yeah with _Lane_. At her house. And the latest they've ever gotten away with was 9:30 and that was only that one time because Mrs. Kim fell asleep."

"Well, why don't you give her 'till 9:30 and if she doesn't come home by then, I'll come over and you can panic."

"Fine, but 9:30 and not a second later."

_XOX_

"That was so good," Rory praised while tossing her napkin in a nearing trashcan.

Jess nodded in agreement while chomping down the last of his cone. He swallowed the bite in his mouth then turned to say something to Rory, but stopped when he realized she wasn't next to him.

"Rory?" When he looked over his shoulder he saw her standing by the garbage. "Why are you starring at a trashcan? There money in there?" he asked while peering over the edge.

"This doesn't say 'Property of Stars Hollow,'" she said while pointing to the metal can.

"Should it?"

"Yes. Taylor labels all the garbage cans so no one will take them. This should say 'Property of Stars Hollow," Rory argued stubbornly.

"Maybe we're not in Stars Hollow," Jess pointed out.

"Then where are we?" Rory asked while looking around. A worrisome frown took her face when she found that nothing seemed familiar.

"Guess we should-a left a bread crumb trail," Jess murmured while taking a bite from his cone.

"Well, we didn't, and I don't know where we are."

"Huh."

"How long have we been walking?"

"I don't know... an hour… ish."

"An hour?" Rory echoed, her frown instantly doubling. "But it only takes five minutes to leave Stars Hollow."

"Then we're definitely not in Stars Hollow"

"Stop joking around! This isn't funny! We're lost!"

"Will you relax," Jess said while tossing what little was left of his desert to the trash. "We haven't made one turn since we left the ice cream place, so if we-"

"Go back that way," she started while turning around, "we'll get home," Rory finished in relief.

"Bingo."

"Okay, good. What time is it?"

Jess held up his wrist for her to see. "9:47?" Rory questioned through wide eyes. "Please tell me that's wrong."

"Sorry. Can't."

"Not good. Really, really not good."

_TBC…_

**Review? You know you want to, :D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	55. Class in Journalism, Class in Parenthood

I don't have it in me tonight for a hearty, well thought out A/N. So ,I'll just say I'm sorry for the long wait, thank you all for the always wonderful reviews, and I hope you enjoy this update. (Yes, I know, it's short. Sorry!)

Read on, :D.

**Gilmore girls: The Tale of An Annoying Woman and a Grumpy Diner Owner**

**Chapter 55: One's Got Class In Journalism, The Other In Parenthood.**

"I checked Patty's, Luke's, Lanes, and the library-nothing," Sookie reported while rushing through the house.

"Damn it!" Lorelai cursed with the phone gripped tightly in her hand.

"We'll find her," Sookie assured her best friend.

"It's after 10:30, Sookie," Lorelai argued impatiently. "She has never, ever been out this late, never, and I would never let her. I'm going to find her. Stay here incase she calls and if she does tell her something better be broken or I'm gonna kick her ass."

The worry driven frown on Sookie's face deepened while Lorelai bolted for the front door.

XOX

"Why are we running?"

"I'm late! I'm late!"

"For a very important date?"

Rory groaned while stopping to put her hands on her knees.

Jess came to a stop beside her, his brows furrowed in concern. "You okay?"

Rory nodded, her eyes on the ground.

"Look, you're already late and your house is only a few blocks away. I think we can walk."

Rory shook her head while slowly standing upright. "My mom, she-"

"Is probably freaking out; it won't matter if we get there in two minutes or five."

"Yes it will."

Rory and Jess spun around to find Lorelai heading their way.

"That's my cue," Jess murmured while turning around.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here!" Lorelai shouted while hurrying across the street.

Jess sighed while turning around.

"Where the hell were you?" Lorelai demanded.

Rory frowned at the anger in her mother's voice. "Mom, I'm really sorry, I-"

"No. You," Lorelai interrupted, her stare focused on Jess. "One night with my kid and you've got her out at 10:30. She's never been out at 10:30, not without me, and she knows not to be out at 10:30. I don't know what your mom lets you get away with, but-"

"Hey!" Jess cut in sharply. "You know nothing about my mom, so don't talk about her," he warned firmly.

Before Lorelai could say a word, Jess beat her to the punch. "I'm leaving. I don't have to listen to you."

Lorelai protested, but this time Jess didn't stop. Rory called for him, but even that didn't work; he didn't turn, he didn't slow his step. He walked across the street, down the block and to the diner.

With the slamming of the door that echoed through the empty square, Lorelai looked to Rory and said, "Start talking. Now."

XOX

_CrapShack_

Without a word, Lorelai pulled back the covers on her daughter's bed. Holding the frown she'd been wearing for a while now, Rory climbed to the mattress. She quickly got herself situated then looked up to her mom with big eyes as Lorelai folded the blanket across her stomach.

"Never again."

"Mom, I'm-"

"No, don't' say you're sorry; I know you're sorry."

"But-"

"No," Lorelai refused while crossing her arms over her chest. "You don't stay out late. You don't hang out with boys. You don't get lost. You don't lose track of time. You're the responsible one. You can't do this. _I _can't do this. Do you know how panicked I was? How worried I was? You were out late at night with a boy. I thought something happened. I thought you were hurt. I thought he-" the words stopped there; Lorelai could barely think them, much less say them. "I won't let you do it, I won't."

Confusion and worry made the frown on Rory's face further.

"You will graduate high school. You will go to college. You will get your dream job. You will not get pregnant, you won't," Lorelai ordered firmly.

"I know," Rory agreed, her voice barely loud enough to be heard. "I'm only 13," she added meekly. "I don't even think about… that."

"Not yet. But you will. Soon."

"Mom-"

"We talked about this; I thought you understood everything."

"I do."

"Then why? Why did you do that?" Lorelai asked desperately. "Do you know what it would do to me if something ever happened to you? You are everything to me, Rory. Damn it, you're the reason I wake up everything morning! You're my daughter and I didn't know where you were or what you were doing of if you were okay and it got later and later and nothing. Why didn't you call? Why didn't you pick up a damn phone and call me? Why did you do that to me!"

Rory's eyes grew wide at the tears welling in Lorelai's. When a drop fell down Lorelai's cheek, Rory untangled her legs from the blanket and crawled to the edge of the bed. She got on her knees and wrapped he arms around her crying mother.

Lorelai linked her arms around her daughter's back, closed her eyes tight, took a shaky breath and said, "I love you, Rory. I love you so much, you have no idea."

"I love you too, mom, " Rory returned while putting her cheek to Lorelei's shoulder. "I'm grounded. Take my books away for a month; don't even let me have a magazine. I won't talk on the phone and I won't see Lane. And I promise, 1 will never, ever do that again. I'll never make you worry like that again, I swear."

"Oh, Rory, "Lorelei sighed.

'I'm really, really sorry.''

"I know, "Lorelei said while holding tighter. "I know."

XOX

It was late when Luke walked through the door, the house dark and quiet. The ride from the city had taken longer than he expected. Luke had hoped to get back to Stars Hollow before ten but it was after eleven when he finally pulled into the driveway.

When Luke saw the empty couch, without giving it a second look, he bypassed it for the staircase. Though the man craved details of the night's Red box game, Luke knew he'd fall asleep while searching for highlights. No way was he spending the night on the couch. Aside from the lumpy cushions that during the night before wreaked havoc on his back and neck, Luke wasn't passing the opportunity to lie next to Lorelei through sunrise.

Luke held his boots in his hands as he made his way up to the second floor. A relieved smile took his face as he took the short hall to Lorelai's room. He expected to find the soft glow of her small TV lighting the room enough to see her sleeping form curled in a ball underneath the covers but instead the room held no light. After a moment Luke's vision adjusted enough for him to see that the bed was empty.

It only took a second for Luke to guess where Lorelai might be. There were many occasions where either Gilmore girl fell asleep in the others bed. But of course Luke couldn't rest until he knew for sure. Call him a worrywart; he'd own up to the title pretty easily.

After quietly making his way to the first floor, Luke paused in the kitchen in front of Rory's partially open door. The lights were out, all except for a small lamp burning on the nightstand. The girls were fast asleep, and Luke couldn't help but smile at the scene. Not a second later his brows furrowed in confusion when he saw that they were in clothes, not pajamas. The blanket didn't cover their bodies as they lie atop it.

"Tomorrow. "Luke murmured to himself. He'd find out tomorrow.

Luke closed the door, leaving it just slightly ajar before turning from the kitchen and walking down the hall, He went to the coffee table, swiped the remote, flicked on ESPN, then plopped to the couch.

Not five minutes later and Luke was in a deep sleep while on the muted TV the great Yankees/ Red Sox debate was in session yet again.

Next Morning

Diner

"Hey, "Lorelai greeted tiredly while walking through the door.

"Usual?" Luke asked from the counter.

Lorelai nodded mutely while falling to a stool.

"Coffee?''

'Do you have to ask?''

"Hoping one day you'll say no."

"Pipe dream."

"Probably."

"Double caff-no, triple caff."

"Lorelai," Luke started to warn while loading the coffee maker.

"Bad night, Luke. Long bad night. I need caffeine, and lots of it."

"Figured something happened. You were in Rory's room."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed through a sigh. "If she had just called me, I wouldn't have almost had a heart attack, but would-a, could-a, should-a, didn't."

"What? "Luke asked in confusion while grabbing her favorite mug from the cabinet.

"Rory and Jess went for a walk and long story short, she didn't get home until after ten-well, no scratch that; it was after ten when I found them by Dooses, but they were on their way back."

"What? After ten?" Luke panicked. "Why were they out that late?"

"They had gotten ice cream and they were walking around and they lost track of time and ended up in another town… I don't know. But Rory has never done something like that, you know? I kinda lost it, and with all the yelling and the crying and I didn't wanna leave her," Lorelai finished through a breath.

Luke nodded in understanding while tipping a pot of hot coffee over an oversized mug, but Lorelai stopped him and said, "I have to get to the Inn."

Luke nodded while plucking a to-go cup from the shelf.

"Thank you, "Lorelai murmured.

"I'll see you tonight?"

"Yup."

Luke nodded and said, "I'll bring dinner."

''Just you and Rory; I have to work late."

"Okay,' 'Luke said while trying to hide his frown.

"I should by home by nine-ten at the latest.''

Luke's frown surfaced, "that late?"

Lorelai nodded while standing from her stool. "Ryan's coming in late. Lisa practically begged me to cover the desk until he gets in. Lorelai Gilmore has a soft spot for sick dogs; who knew?"

"Sick dogs?"

"Yup, "Lorelai said while backing to the door. She has a cute little pug that hasn't been eating. She's taking him to the vet tonight. Poor thing."

Luke nodded.

Lorelai smiled a little. "I know- you don't like dogs."

"Nope. They're annoying, they shed, they pee all over the place, they're loud, they smell, and it's a pain in the ass to train them."

"How do you know?" Lorelai challenged. "Have you ever tried to train a dog?''

"Wild guess."

Lorelai sighed. "Just when I think you might be okay with everything, you go and say that."

"What?''

Lorelai shook her head. "Bye, Luke.''

XOX

Stars Hollow High

Normally Rory Gilmore wrote furiously and listened intently right up until the final bell. Normally, from her seat in front row center, Rory paid the closest attention until the very last second of class. But on that warm Wednesday in June, Rory was packed and all ready

to go for a whole twenty seconds before class let out. When the bell rang, Rory jumped from her seat, surprising everyone, even her teacher when she was the first one to the door.

"Rory, wait up!"

Rory frowned at the interruption-but nonetheless she turned around.

Joey squirmed between his classmates and weaved his way through desks to catch up to Rory who was already standing just outside the doorway.

"Here, "he said while holding a flyer out. "I wanted to give this to you at lunch but I didn't see you."

Rory took the white piece of paper and nodded in realization when she found it to be a sign up sheet for the summer class for young journalists.

"You still want that, right?"

Rory looked up and nodded, a smile on her face.

Joey gave a nod. "Bye, Rory,''

"Bye, Joey. Thank you,''

With that, Joey disappeared to the moving crowd and Rory looked down at the flyer in her hand. Then she looked to the watch on her wrist. It was 2:58. If she left now, she'd still make it in time to meet Jess. But then again, she knew Mr. Hunter always took a while to pack up his things; she could run up to the second floor catch her English teacher, fill out the form and be all signed up for the class. But in doing so, she'd be late for Jess. 10-maybe 20 minutes. Mr. Hunter was a talker. He'd talk her ear off for minutes.

Rory didn't want to be late; Jess might think she ditched him and then he'd leave. But on the other hand, Rory didn't want to wait until tomorrow to give in her sign up sheet. The class could fill and then her chance to study journalism over the summer, her chance to earn extra credit would be tossed out the window.

Rory thought about it, looking between her watch and the sign up sheet before giving in not 20 seconds later and hurrying for the staircase.

XOX

Jess sighed while looking down at his watch. 3:12. He then looked to the basket of fries, picked one from the pile and then threw it to the lake after feeling it's cool temperature.

'"Jess!"

The teen turned and a smile took his face. He couldn't stop it from happening, not even if he tried.

"You're still... here," Rory huffed while falling to her butt beside Jess.

"Why do you look like you just ran a marathon? Did you run here?"

Rory nodded.

Jess's smile turned quirky as Rory struggled to find her breath.

"Late... need food,''

Jess held up the fries while Rory pushed herself up from the bridge to sit up right.

''They're cold as crap,"

"Don't care," Rory said before chomping down on a fry.

While she chewed, Jess offered his milkshake. "Rest is yours."

"Thank you," Rory said gratefully before taking a greedy sip.

"So what's with being 12 minutes late?"

Rory swallowed hard and then said, "I had to hand in something and my teacher wouldn't stop talking. He kept going on about his broken toaster."

"Broken toaster?"

Rory nodded grimly.

"What' d you have to hand in, Miss Straight A's?"

''How'd you know I get straight A's?"

Jess smiled further. "Lucky guess.''

"I had to give my English teacher a sign up form for a summer journalism class.''

"School in the summer? I could never be you, Gilmore.''

"Well I can't wait," Rory said primly. "Besides, I need all the journalism classes I can get if I want to be like Christiane Amanpour."

Jess nodded, watching as she popped a fry into her mouth. "So you want to be a foreign correspondent?"

''Yes I do.''

"But school in the summer?" he asked through a wince.

"Learning is fun."

"Says the geek."

Rory wacked Jess's arm at the teasing look he gave her.

"Kidding, You should take that class. Anything can help, right?"

Rory gave a firm nod and said, "Right.''

XOX

The Inn

Lorelei was wrapping up a conversation when Lisa came through the door with her pug sitting in her arms.

"Lisa?' Lorelei questioned confusedly. ''What are you doing here?''

"Left my cell phone in my office. Plus I need to grab a few things," the woman said in exasperation while rounding the desk.

Lorelai hurried after her and said, "You go the vet already?"

"Yeah. We were faster than I thought we'd be. Cassie's fine, she just has a little bug."

"Good."

"Yeah," Lisa agreed through a sigh while pulling open her desk drawer. "Wish I knew we'd be in and out before I cancelled the sitter. I've got so much paper work to catch up on."

"Sitter? For the dog?"

"I know, sounds a little crazy, but we're still house training and if she's left along, she just pees all over the place."

"Well then practical, not crazy."

"Glad someone sees it that way," Lisa murmured. "Anyway, I should get going. Maybe I can get some work done at home. But easier said than done. The second I walk through the door my sister will call and keep me on the phone for hours, Cassie will sit on the floor, starring at me, crying, and before I know it I'll be rocking her to sleep like a baby while trying to convince my sister that there are other fish in the sea. Although I don't know how much longer I can keep saying that. She's pretty much gone through every eligible bachelor in Virginia. And that's a big state, so that says a lot about her, doesn't it?"

Lorelai waited a beat and then through wide eyes said, "Wow. I've never heard you rant before.

"Sorry," Lisa apologized while jamming folders into her bag. "Stress makes me rant. I don't normally go on and on like that."

"Well, for a part time ranter, you're pretty good at it. But next time toss in a few groans and add a really loud foot stomp in at the end. That'll put it over the top."

Lisa rolled her eyes.

Lorelai smiled. "Now, I will say something humor free. A little unusual for me, I know, but you're ranting, so may as well forego normalcy and go the serious route for a change."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I know I'm supposed to be on the clock tonight, but since you seem more than eager to stay here, how 'bout I take Cassie off your hands for a while and you get your work done. The desk is pretty quiet and things don't seem like they're going to pick up any time soon so you could probably get your stuff finished at the front desk."

With hopeful eyes, Lisa asked, "Really? You'd take Cassie? I swear, she thinks she's human; she acts like a baby. And she's sick. She's been a real handful lately. You sure you want to take her?"

Lorelai nodded, a sly smile taking her lips as she reached for the puppy. "I insist."

XOX

CrapShack

"Mommy's home!"

"Lorelai?"

"The one and only- well, no, the… third and only."

Putting his plate of grilled chicken and salad down on the coffee table, Luke turned from the television, his brows furrowed in curiosity. "I thought you had to work late."

"Change of plans," Lorelai called from the foyer. "Rory! Come see what mommy brought home!"

"She's not here. She called a little while ago. She's with Jess; they're getting dinner at Al's. I warned Jess not to do anything stupid and I told her to call if they go anywhere else. She has coins for the payphone."

"Oh," Lorelai murmured. "Oh, well. This is mainly for you anyway."

"What is?" Luke asked suspiciously while standing from the couch.

After dumping the bags to the floor, Lorelai adjusted the bundle in her arms, took a breath, then rounded her way to the living room.

"Surprise!" Lorelai shouted while pulling a pink blanket from her arms.

Luke's face fell instantly. "What the hell is that?"

"Not what, who."

"Fine. Who the hell is that?"

"Luke, I'd like you to meet Cassie. Cassie, meet Luke."

"Why are you introducing me to a dog?"

"Because it would be rude not to. Has Miss Manners taught you nothing?"

"You bought a dog?" Luke demanded.

Lorelai shook her head. "I borrowed a dog."

"Why?"

"Long story. Anyway, here's what you need to know," Lorelai started while rounding the couch where Luke stood. "This furry little thing I'm holding, she may look like a dog, but she fancies herself a human. A human with a tummy ache who is needy enough sans illness. She's a puppy who hasn't gotten a gold star in potty training yet. She requires constant attention because she likes to pee everywhere when she doesn't get it. She enjoys cuddling and gets very upset if you ignore her. She can't sleep alone because she'll just howl all night and when she's not howling, she's crying and whimpering. Rumor has it she has one heart breaking cry. I haven't actually heard it myself, so, I can't personally attest to that, but something tells me I'll find out tonight."

"What? Tonight? Why tonight? What are you doing?" Luke sputtered nervously.

"I am trying to prepare you."

"What? What does that mean?"

"It means that Cassie here," Lorelai started while holding the dog to Luke who had no choice but to take her. "Is our overnight guest for the evening, aka, your crash course in parenthood."

_TBC…_

**Reviews? Please and thank you, :D**


	56. That's Stars Hollow

Author's Note-

It's been forever, I know! I am so, so sorry I've gone this long without updating! I've had a crazy, hectic, drama-filled year! Ugh!

Anyway, onto the good stuff. This chapter is short, but hopefully sweet. I'm already working on chapter 57, so that will come very soon, I promise! I also vow to never, ever again go that long without updating!

Hope you enjoy!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 56: That's Stars Hollow**

_CrapShack_

"I am trying to prepare you."

"What? What does that mean?"

"It means that Cassie here," Lorelai started while holding the dog to Luke, who had no choice but to take her," is our overnight guest for the evening, aka, your crash course in parenthood."

"My what?"

"Well, aside from birthing classes, this is the best I could come up with to help prepare you for baby here," Lorelai explained while tapping her belly. "Oh, maybe the learning Annex has childcare classes," she murmured thoughtfully.

Like he was holding a ticking time bomb, Luke put the dog on the floor while muttering his complaints under his breath.

Lorelai couldn't help a smirk when Cassie started whimpering, her paws scratching at Luke's jean covered legs.

"Ah, jeez."

"Just pick her up."

"No," he refused like a stubborn child.

"Luke," Lorelai laughed.

"You think this is funny?"

"Hilarious."

_XOX_

_Al's Pancake World_

After being escorted to their seats by the hostess, Rory looked around in awe and said, "this is so weird. I've never been here without my mom. Lane and I usually just go to Luke's."

"Seems like you do a lot with your mom."

"I do. She's my best friend."

"Isn't that weird?"

"Not for us."

"I never do anything with my mom."

Frowning, Rory said, "I'm sorry."

Jess shrugged and said, "She's crazy anyway."

"Hi! You kids ready to order yet?" a waitress asked while popping up at their table.

"I know what I want. Jess?"

"How could you know? You didn't even look at the menu."

"She comes here a lot," the older waitress threw in. "How's your mom, honey? What's she doing tonight?"

"She's good, but she's working."

"Tell her I said hi?"

Rory nodded with a smile on her face.

"You want your usual, sweetie?"

"Yes, please."

"And you? Need a minute to look at the menu?"

"I'll just have whatever she's having."

"Two burgers and fries comin' up."

"Thanks, Linda," Rory called after the waitress who gave a smile in return.

"Do you know everyone in this town?"

"Pretty much."

"That's insane."

"That's Stars Hollow."

_XOX_

_CrapShack_

"Do I really have to carry him down the stairs?" Luke complained.

"It's a she," Lorelai corrected, "and yes. She has a tummy ache. She's not in the mood to do much walking."

"Fine," Luke grunted in complaint.

"That's the spirit!" Lorelai cheered while handing Cassie over to Luke, the dog all leashed up and ready to go. "And when you come back inside, it's bath time! Won't that be fun?"

"A bath? But he-"

"She."

"She's here for one night and we have to give her a bath?"

"Not we, you. I'll be supervising."

"Lorelai," Lorelai growled.

"That's what it would be like with a baby, Luke. A bath every night. Or morning. But in this case, night."

"This isn't a baby, it's a dog."

"Did you not hear a word I said when I came home?"

Sighing in relent, Luke gave in while opening the front door. "I'll walk the damn thing."

"Luke!"

"And I'll even give it a bath and whatever else you want me to do, but it's not sleeping in bed with us. That's where I draw the line."

"Yeah, about that," Lorelai started, "Cassie needs room to sprawl and stretch out, so you're gonna have to-"

"Don't even say it!"

"Well, Lisa's not married. Cassie's used to having a whole side of the bed to herself. You can have the bed with Cassie and I'll take the couch if you want," Lorelai offered through a smile.

"Not a chance in hell. I'll take the damn couch."

"Okay, but if you change your mind," Lorelai sang.

Luke didn't respond as he crossed the threshold to the porch with a whimpering Cassie held to his chest.

"I should be the one crying… one day I'll get in that bed," Luke mumbled.

_XOX_

_Al's Pancake World_

While waiting for their food to arrive, Rory couldn't help but say, "so you're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yup. Back to the big apple."

Rory nodded. "Think you'll ever come back to Stars Hollow?"

Growning a smirk, Jess asked, "Why? Gonna miss me, Gilmore?"

Rory shrugged and said, "maybe."

"I'm sure my mom will screw up again and we'll be back."

Frowning, Rory said, "I hope not. I mean I hope your mom makes rent and everything."

"She will. For a while. But then she'll meet some loser who will eventually take off with our cash and she'll be locked in the bathroom, crying, while I'm calling Luke for help."

"So this happens a lot?"

"Yup."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, well. It is what it is."

"Well, whenever you come back here, maybe could… hang out again?" Rory asked shyly.

His words honest, Jess said, "you're the only person in this town that I would hang out with."

His words making the 12- year- old blush, Rory looked down at her empty plate. Not seconds later, she dared to look back at Jess who was grinning from ear to ear.

_XOX_

_CrapShack_

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"An hour, Lorelai. It took me an hour to clean that damn dog," Luke grumped.

While drying off a wet Cassie, Lorelai said, "Stop calling her that. She has feelings, you know."

"She's a dog. She can't understand a word I'm saying."

"You remembered to say 'she'!"

Luke rolled his eyes.

Looking to the clock, Lorelai said, "look what time it is!"

"6:00."

"It's someone's dinnertime! Come on, baby, I'll feed you," Lorelai cooed while standing from the couch with Cassie in her arms.

"Really? You're feeding her?" Luke asked hopefully.

"Yup."

"Why?" Luke asked, suddenly suspicious. "What's the catch?"

Lorelai didn't reply while disappearing to the kitchen.

Sitting on the couch, Luke sighed.

_XOX_

_Al's Pancake World_

After her food had been consumed, Rory leaned back in her chair while putting her hand to her belly and saying, "that was some good eatin'"

"You eat fast."

Rory frowned. "Is that bad?"

Jess shook his head.

"Oh. Well, good."

With his burger in his stomach and his fries nearly gone, Jess asked. "Ice cream?"

"Last time we got ice cream we ended up in another town and I didn't get home until 10:30."

"We'll stay local, I promise."

"I could go for some desert."

"Then let's go," Jess said while standing to his feet and pulling money from his pocket.

"But you didn't finish your fries."

"Ice cream beats fries any day. Come on, Gilmore."

_XOX_

_CrapShack_

"Knew there was a catch," Luke grumbled from the kitchen floor where he knelt on his feet, cleaning up dog vomit.

"Poor thing," Lorelai said through a frown while rocking Cassie.

"She's not the one cleaning up puke."

"Her belly hurts," Lorelai defended.

Luke sighed while continuing the clean up.

_XOX_

_Square_

With cones in their hands, Jess and Rory settled on the bench in the gazebo as the town grew dark.

"So, what time do you leave tomorrow?"

"Early."

"Luke probably wants to beat the traffic."

Jess nodded in agreement.

"Do you know your new address?"

"Nope."

"Oh," Rory muttered in disappointment.

"I'll send it to you."

"What?"

"When I get there, I'll let you know where I live. Postcard or letter? Or I could just call."

Smiling, Rory said, "Letter."

"Figured you'd pick that."

"You did?"

"You like to read."

"Yes I do," Rory agreed proudly. "I like to write too."

"No, kidding, journalist to be."

Rory grinned.

"So, if I write you, you'll write back?"

"Yes, of course!" Rory answered enthusiastically.

Jess smiled at her excitement.

"We'll be pen pals."

"Yeah, " Jess agreed, "we will."

_To be Continued…_

**Thoughts? I'd love to hear 'em! Please review! :D**


	57. The Wait's Over

_Author's Note_

_I know it's been a while since I've updated, so I want to take a minute to thank __**Rajatao, Eryngrace94, Jeremy Shane, A Different Type of Flower, **__and__** itzcheeseball **__for reviewing the last chapter! Thanks for sticking with me guys! _

_Okay, here we go! Enjoy!_

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 57: The Wait's Over**

_Monday_

_Airport_

"Bye, Mia," Lorelai said with a frown while giving the woman a hug.

"Bye, Sweetheart," Mia returned as she wrapped her arms around Lorelai. "Thank you for having me. It was a wonderful weekend."

"I wish you would come more often. You know you can always stay with me."

Mia smiled as they parted. "The Inn barely needs me."

"But Rory and I need you."

The words made Mia smile further. "I promise to visit more often."

"Good."

"You'll call tomorrow, after your appointment?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe you're going to have a baby," Mia awed through a soft smile.

"Me either," Lorelai agreed while putting a hand to her stomach.

"And no morning sickness yet… lucky girl."

Lorelai's lips fell. "I had it bad with Rory, so I'm not counting my chickens yet."

Before Mia could reply, a voice came through the loud speaker giving a last call for those boarding the flight to Santa Barbara.

"If I don't see you in the next six months, I'm coming to Santa Barbara and kidnapping you."

"I already made plans to come for the 4th of July."

"That's next month!"

Mia smiled at Lorelai's enthusiasm. "One last hug before I get on the plane?"

"Of course," Lorelai agreed while giving Mia another goodbye hug.

"I better hear from you tomorrow," Mia warned while walking away.

"You'll be the first person I call," Lorelai promised.

_XOX_

_The Diner_

It was that time between breakfast and lunch when things in the diner were slow. Because of the daily lull, Lorelai had no problem claiming her usual stool at the counter, right in front of the cash register. With just Kirk at the other end of the counter, and an elderly couple sitting by the window, Lorelai walked through the coffee shop to find Luke cleaning the countertop.

"Hey, there, hot stuff."

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"But you're just so hot! I can't help myself!"

Sighing, Luke said, "you want coffee?"

"Do I breathe air?"

"That a yes?"

"Have I ever said no to coffee before?"

"Will you stop answering my questions with questions."

Sprouting a grin, Lorelai said, "Yes, I want coffee, but make it to go. I have to head to the Inn."

Luke nodded while turning around to get her order.

"You take Mia to the airport?"

"Yup," Lorelai sighed. "As much as I love having her here, I hate that they're always such short visits."

"She say when she's coming back?" Luke asked while handing Lorelai a to-go cup filled to the brim with coffee.

"Yeah, a few weeks actually. She's coming back for the 4th. Guess she wants to be here for the festivities."

"And let me guess. You wanna go?"

"Hello? Have we met?"

"Fine, but I'm sitting this one out. I think you've dragged me to enough town freak outs."

"Oh, Butch, you say that now," Lorelai started while standing from her seat, coffee in hand, "but we both know you'll be changing your tune soon enough."

Luke blew a frustrated breath as he watched her walk out the door.

_Next Day_

_The Road_

"Ready for this?"

"For what?"

"Our appointment."

"What's there to be ready for?" Luke asked while driving through Stars Hollow.

"To find out that we're having a baby."

Luke gave her a quick glance, his brows furrowed in confusion, before looking back to the road and saying, "do you not remember telling me you're pregnant?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I found out thanks to a couple of plus signs on some white sticks. But now we'll be hearing it straight from the horse's mouth that my eggo is indeed preggo."

"What?"

Lorelai sighed and said, "how I got involved with someone who can't keep up with me, I'll never know."

XOX

Walking from school, Rory found herself rushing through Stars Hollow to get home. She was eager to get to the mailbox. The mail always arrived in the a.m, so she knew the mailman had paid a visit to her house by now. The question was, did he leave what she'd been waiting for?

Yesterday, Rory was disappointed when she brought in the mail and found nothing addressed to her. She thought, with the close proximity, maybe the letter would come on Monday. When it didn't, Rory couldn't help but bring up the subject to Lane when her best friend called.

"_Hey, Rory. Did I leave my history book at your house yesterday?"_

"_What?" Rory asked absentmindedly while going through the mail again to make sure she didn't miss anything. _

"_My history textbook. I can't find it. Did I leave it at your house yesterday?"_

"_Oh, um… I don't know."_

"_Can you check?... Rory?... Are you there?"_

"_What?"_

"_Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah, I just… nothing came in the mail for me."_

"_Was something supposed to? Is it something from school? I didn't get anything either."_

"_No, it's just… Jess… he said he would write me when he moved into his new apartment."_

"_Wait, he said he'd write you?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_And you guys went out the night before he left."_

"_What does that-"_

"_And the night you're mom went crazy, you were out late with Jess!"_

"_Ow, Lane, the yelling."_

"_I'm sorry, but oh my God! He so likes you and you so like him back!"_

"_What? No, we're just friends."_

"_But you like him," Lane sang. "That's why you're disappointed that his letter didn't come yet."_

"_I'm not disappointed… I just thought it would come today, that's all."_

"_If he wrote it Friday, it probably went out in the mail on Saturday, so it'll probably come tomorrow," Lane reasoned. _

"_Oh, good."_

"_See! You can't wait for it to come! You sooooo like him!"_

Of course Rory continued to deny the accusation, but it was too late. The seed was planted.

Did she like Jess? Was he the first boy she liked?

Rory wasn't sure, but she found herself thinking about it all night. And then all day during school when Lane continued to bring up the subject.

Shaking the memory, Rory ran the last block and headed straight for the mailbox. Letting her backpack slide to the floor, the young Gilmore rifled through the bills and junk mail until stumbling upon a letter addressed to her from Jess Mariano.

_XOX_

_Dr's Office_

"Lorelai Gilmore," a woman called from the doorway leading to the examining rooms.

"Oh, that's me!" Lorelai answered while standing.

"'Bout time," Luke grumbled while following.

Lorelai peaked over her shoulder to smirk at Luke. Did she know the wait could be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour? Yup. Did she dare tell Luke? Nope.

"Right down the hall and to room 3."

"Okay, thank you. Come on, babe," Lorelai said while taking Luke's hand and leading him down the hall.

"If you'll just change into your gown, Dr. Stellar will be with you in a moment," the nurse said before leaving the room.

"Oh, uh, I'll just be outside."

"You've seen the goods before, Luke. You can watch me change."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked uneasily.

Smiling, Lorelai said, "you've never protested to my getting naked before."

"Yeah, well, I've never watched you get naked in a doctor's office. It's weird."

"Why is it weird?"

"I don't know. It just is."

"Well, then close your eyes if you're that uncomfortable. But you can look. Nothing you haven't seen before."

"Okay, I'll just, uh," Luke stammered while falling to an empty chair across from the examining chair. "Tell me when you're done," the man said while putting his hand over his eyes.

"Okay," Lorelai said through her giggles as she began to undress.

After a minute, Lorelai's clothes were discarded and instead a white gown with blue dots was wrapped around her body.

"Okay," Lorelai called while settling herself on the chair.

Luke opened his eyes while putting his forearms to his legs.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"You look nervous."

"Just being in a place like this… makes uncomfortable."

Lorelai nodded in understanding. She knew hospitals were especially bad for him, what with what happened to his parents.

_Knock! Knock!_

"Come in!" Lorelai called.

An older woman in her mid to late 50's walked through the room wearing a white lab coat and a smile.

"Hello, Lorelai. How we doing?"

"Good. Excited."

Dr. Stellar smiled. "And who's this?" She asked while looking to Luke.

"That's my boyfriend, Luke… wow. Boyfriend. Feel like I'm 16 years old saying that. How 'bout significant other? Yeah, that sounds more mature."

"Hello, Luke, it's nice to meet you," the doctor said while holding out her hand.

"Hi. Luke Danes," he said while shaking her hand.

"So, Lorelai, I know you're not here for your usual check up. I hope nothing's wrong," Dr. Stellar said while taking a seat and putting her folder on the countertop beside her.

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong. It's something good… well, at first I didn't think it was good, but Luke's on board and he bought all this stuff and yeah, I'm excited."

"She rambles when she's excited," Luke explained.

"Let me guess," Dr. Stellar started, "you're pregnant?"

Lorelai nodded as her smile grew.

"I remember delivering Rory… how old is she now?"

"12 going on 30."

"Wow. Time does fly, doesn't it?"

"That it does."

"And here you are again."

"Here I am."

"When was your last period?"

"The end of April."

"So, nothing in May, right?"

"Nope."

"Okay, "the doctor said while making some notes on her clipboard. "You took the home pregnancy test? Came out positive?"

"Three of them. All positive."

"Well, it looks like you're pregnant, Lorelai," Dr. Stellar said through a smile. "But just to be one hundred percent sure, you gave a urine sample, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay," Dr. Stellar said while standing to her feet. "Let me go check on that and I'll be right back. Then we'll get you started on some vitamins and all that good stuff."

"Okay."

After Dr. Stellar left the room, Lorelai looked to Luke and said, "I still can't believe you got all that baby stuff… I can't believe you didn't run."

"Never."

Lorelai smiled.

_XOX_

_CrapShack_

Standing on her lawn, Rory tore open the letter.

_**Hey, Gilmore,**_

_**So, this place is actually halfway decent. Got my own room. No sign of rats or anything. Just hope my mom doesn't screw it up. I know it's only a matter of time before she does, but who knows, maybe we'll be here for a while. **_

_**How's Stars Hollow without me? I was thinking I'd take a train or a bus or something back to town one of these days if you wanted to get ice cream or something. Even in my own room, my mom still drives me crazy, so it would be nice to get away. Let me know if you wanna do something. **_

_**Oh, and my address is 25 Cleveland Avenue, apartment B. **_

_**Jess**_**. **

With the biggest smile on her face, Rory ran back inside to write her pen pal a letter.

_XOX_

_Doctor's Office_

After hearing a soft knock at the door, Lorelai looked up to find Dr. Stellar walking inside. Lorelai's brows furrowed at the look on the woman's face.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news."

_To Be Continued…_

**Thoughts? Please leave them before you go! Thank you for reading!**


	58. Where's The Rainbow?

I can't begin to say how sorry I am that's it taken me this long to update. I'm not even sure if I've still got an audience for this, but I'll find out soon. Hopefully you guys are still around. I know the show has been off the air for a while. I've been writing a lot of Once Upon A Time fics for those interested. I've also been working on my novel. I've got some time off from work (thank you seasonal job!) so I'm going to try and get as much of this story done as possible before March (when school and work kick in again. Ugh!)

Anyway, enjoy!

**Gilmore girls**

**Chapter 58: Where's The Rainbow?**

After hearing a soft knock on the door, Lorelai looked up to find Dr. Stellar walking inside. Lorelai's brows knit in worry at the look on the woman's face.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Luke took Lorelai's hand. Her body tensed, her eyes glued to the doctor as she braced for whatever would happen next.

A big smile sprouted on the doctor's face as she said, "you won't be having a martini for a while."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Wait, I'm pregnant?"

The doctor nodded.

"God," Lorelai murmured as her hand went to her fast beating heart. "Don't do that."

"Sorry," the doctor apologized with a grin. "You're good to go, Lorelai. I'll leave a prescription for some pre-natal vitamins I want you to start on. Come back next month. Don't be afraid to give us a call if you have any questions."

"Will do," Lorelai confirmed. "Ever think about moonlighting as a comedian?"

"Thank you," Luke added.

After wishing them a good day, the doctor excused herself.

With a bright smile, Lorelai turned to Luke. "What should we do to celebrate? Rhetorical question. You should know exactly what we'll be doing tonight," she said while flashing an obvious wink.

"You know it's creepy when you do that."

"I'm working on it."

"How 'bout Bud and Maisy? We'll bring Rory."

"And then we'll be having private time," Lorelai said with another wink.

Luke sighed.

XOX

Rory had just finished writing back to Jess when she heard the front door open. She dropped her pen and ran from her room.

"What happened?!" she asked anxiously.

"I was violated."

"What?"

"They checked her out," Luke said through an eye rool.

"You are pregnant, right?"

Lorelai nodded.

"That's good! … it is good, right?" Rory asked carefully.

"Very good," Lorelai confirmed.

"We should celebrate."

"One step aheada ya, kid."

"Hungry?" Luke asked. "We're gonna head over to see Bud and Maisy."

"Let's go!"

XOX

"You're pregnant?!" Maisy exclaimed in excitement.

"I can now confirm that yes, there is a bun in the oven."

"You need cheesecake!"

"I like the way you think, Buddy," Lorelai said with a smile.

Maisy tugged on Luke's shoulder to get his attention. She pulled him from the booth and led him away from earshot.

"You still have your mother's ring, don't you?"

Luke nodded.

"Well… when are you going to give it to her?"

"Now's not the time, Maisy."

"Why the hell not?" The older woman asked with furrowed brows.

Luke shrugged uncomfortably.

"You don't know if you want to marry her," she concluded.

"She won't say yes," Luke said gruffly. "Not now, she'll think it's because of this."

"Well, are you at least gonna move in together?"

"Up to her."

Maisy sighed. "Anything you do know?"

The man nodded. He looked over at the table to see Lorelai laughing about something with Rory.

"I'm having a kid."

XOX

Later that night, Lorelai was sitting up in bed with a notebook in her lap and a pen in her hand when Luke came out of the steam filled bathroom.

"All yours," he announced while ruffling a towel through his wet hair.

"I just have to finish this."

"What is it?"

"A letter."

"To who?"

"My mother."

His curiosity peaked, Luke went over to the bed to see what she was writing.

"_I'm pregnant. Deal with it_," he read. "You know you can't send that."

"Why not?"

"Because… you just can't."

Lorelai frowned further. "We'll, I'm not calling. She'll just yell and complain and yell and complain, and then yell some more."

"You should talk to them in person."

"Have you met my parents?"

After walking to his dresser, Luke pulled on a shirt to go with the sweatpants he was wearing. "What they say doesn't influence what you do, so what's the difference? Just tell 'em, Get it over with. Let 'em think what they wanna think. Doesn't matter."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Lorelai grumbled while tossing her notebook aside.

"Invite 'em over for dinner. I'll make something. They'll eat and we'll send them on their way."

"Fine, but no desert. In fact, just make dinner to go. That way I can tell them right when they walk in the door and they can leave with a nice doggy bag. That's being a good hostess, right?"

Luke couldn't help a small smile.

XOX

The day was bad from the start. Not only did Lorelai wake up late, forget to get her dry cleaning the day before, get a flat tire on the way to work, but when she arrived at the Inn she was met with Lisa who was holding a maid's uniform. A few of the girls were out sick. Lorelai had to fill in.

After spending the morning changing bed sheets and cleaning toilets, Lorelai got a call from Luke, reminding her to call her parents. That was the cherry on top.

With a grumpy face, Lorelai dragged her feet through the kitchen.

"I didn't know you were being a maid today," Sookie said with a frown.

"Bad day," Lreoali started while falling to a stool. "Very bad day. And I haven't even called Mr. and Mrs. Satan yet."

"Why do you have to call your parents?"

"Luke's making me," Lorelai complained.

"Why on earth is he doing that?"

"Because I'm pregnant and apparently sending them a very brief letter describing my situation isn't 'the right thing to do," Lorelai explained while putting air quotes around the last part.

"You're going to tell them over the phone?" Sookie asked through a wince.

"That was plan B, but Luke wants me to invite them over for dinner. Kiss ass."

"The man's got chutzpah. I'll give him that."

"I don't wanna do this," Lorelai whined like a petulant five year old.

"You've gotta tell 'em sometime," Sookie reasoned.

"Yeah, well, why can't I just send 'em a singing telegram or something? That's whimsical. Even if they can't appreciate that, they'll at least be entertained for a few minutes."

"Have they ever even been to your house before?"

Lorelai shook her head.

"Wow," Sookie awed.

"I know," Lorelai sighed. "I've been so lucky up until now."

_To Be Continued…_

Super short, I know, but I've gotta get the engines roaring again. I need to re-familiarize myself with this story. I gotta get back in the grove. Till then, please bare with me!

Review before you go? I'd very much appreciate it!


	59. Important

**Very Important!**

I need to be honest with everyone. I don't have the passion I did for this story. I started it years ago. It was never supposed to take this long to finish but life gets in the way. I don't want to let anyone down, and I apologize, but I don't think I'll be finishing this. My head's not all there when I'm writing it. I had to force the last chapter, as I'm sure a lot of you could tell. I hate to leave an unfinished story, but I hate even more to half ass something.

I love GG. Always have, always will. But the show has been over for years. I don't watch as much. I'm kind of obsessed with writing fics for once upon a time at the moment.

I'd love to offer this story to anyone who would like to take it and finish it. Please contact me if you're interested.

Thanks for reading, and sticking with me guys! Love you all!


	60. Chapter 60

I received a review from a user, **Bethygirl**, who said she would like to continue the story. I wanted to pm this user directly but she has disabled the feature...

**Bethygirl, **it would be great if you'll continue the story! Please enable the pming feature and msg me directly so we can talk!


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